It's Okay To Be Selfish
by Marshmaro
Summary: Because opportunities are missed everyday, people compensate it with the little things they do in the future. And it all started when Kageyama Tobio arrived at a certain house as a delivery boy "What does 'liking' someone mean?" "Is volleyball the only thing you like, King?" OC/Kage OC/Tsuki. Fluff/Slice of Life/Mild!Angst
1. Chapter 1 Not A Shoujo Manga

**Please don't be harsh on me! I am but a lowly teenager sinking deep into the volleyball hotties fandom. D:**

 **Well, anyway. I hope you enjoy. It's just a random story I came up with during my semester break.**

 **But don't expect too much! I'm an amateur!**

 **Note: I do not own Haikyuu.**

* * *

"So pick a view."

Chestnut brown eyes shifted from the book she was reading to her redhead companion who was staring at her intently, waiting for a response. Said redhead grinned widely and in a rather _disturbing_ way as she showed her a picture of many different shoujo manga couple poses. "Does it always have to be the guy reaching for the book the girl was trying to reach or…?" The former complained, even though she was chuckling in between her words. The redhead frowned. "But it was _you_ who requested this drawing in the first place, you know." She retorted back rather sheepishly as she held the paper up, obviously insisting that her friend make a choice.

"Oh, look. Dark auburn brown hair and brown eyes. Is that me, you're drawing? Look, I know you think I'm pretty, but you should just say so." The other girl laughed annoyingly, trying to piss her off with fake narcissism. "WHAT THE HECK? It was _you_ who requested this drawing in the first place!" The redhead repeated, almost shouting at the brunette.

"Well, I don't know about the 'reaching for one book' pose. How about reaching for a doorknob or food while she's eating a hamburger or something?" The brunette finally answered seriously, after a bunch of complaints and annoying remarks. This time, it was the redhead's turn to complain, although she did it in a 'nice' way.

"… But why would she reach for food if she's already eating a hamburger? Gluttonous girls are—"

"Why not? You're so judgmental! Just because she's reaching for food while eating… don't we all do that?"

"… Uhh… Um… No."

The brunette just laughed at her in a teasing way. The redhead doesn't actually know how exactly she became friends with this rather 'quietly sarcastic' woman who has a bad habit of throwing her fake laughter instead of coming up with a witty comeback. "Well, let's settle this peacefully. Fishcake, fishball, or fishy? Choose one." The brunette followed her laughter with a pointless statement. The redhead had no idea what the heck was going on and just chose the first thing she heard. "Fishcake. 'Fishy' reminds me of the quote "There is something fishy", and that just bothers me, you know." She awkwardly explained.

The brunette smirked. "Doorknob, it is. Just draw them reaching for the doorknob or something."

"Doorknob? Seriously? Why would the guy race her to the doorknob?" The redhead pointed out. The brunette laughed yet again. It was an annoying situation for strangers, but it was a normal one for the poor redhead. She owed her friend something and now she's stuck with the same friend, laughing at her for no reason and forcing her to draw something to pay off her 'debt'. "Look, how about I just make a 'kabe-don' moment? You know where the girl's back is against the wall and the guy's hand on the wall, and well, um… kind of like pinning her down without exactly touching her?" She slowly started becoming enthusiastic as she secretly fantasized about her old drawings which she had a hard time finishing due to severe 'fangirling' after each stroke.

"And… and… if the guy looks like he was going to kill from the outside but is actually a softie on the inside… AAAAHHHHHH." She continued.

This time, it was the brunette's turn to look at the other girl as if she just came from outer space. "Uh, okay? Well, if you want it to be the, what was that? 'Babe-don'? Well, you're Ms. Artist so it's all up to you." She agreed. "It's KABE-don, not BABE-don." The redhead corrected.

Part of the reason why the brunette agreed without teasing her or laughing at her this time was because she was now busy sewing something. "Ow!" She accidentally pricked her finger and is now staring at her blood-stained skin. Just when the redhead was finally serious about continuing her drawing, the brunette suddenly laughed _out of nowhere_. This made the redhead stare at her with a 'bruh-are-you-okay-do-you-want-me-to-bring-you-to-a-psychiatrist' kind of expression.

The brunette stopped laughing and randomly said "Hey, curse words are not even supposed to be curse words. People just labeled them 'bad words' so they're used for cursing."

After what seemed to be an awkward silence, the redhead's face brightened up. "Yeah! You have a point there, my friend! Like, if I labeled 'doorknob' as a bad word, then I'm free to say 'You doorknob!` to people I hate, right?" After the weird remark, the brunette had no idea whether her friend was being sarcastic or if she just really, _really_ likes to blurt out weird remarks from who-knows-which part of her brain. But of course, being the usual annoying person she is, she just laughed. Again.

"So how about this?" The redhead held up her draft. It was a sketch of a man(?) with his one hand on the wall and a girl who was staring up at him and had her back against the same wall. _Oooohhh, so that's a 'kabe-don'_ , the brunette silently wondered how many shoujo mangas her friend was reading during her free time. The picture was okay, but of course, there's one thing missing. "Hey… where's the hamburger?"

"Righty-o." The redhead did not complain. After all, she was also aware of the missing hamburger.

Wrapping a band aid around the pricked finger, the brunette suddenly noticed something they've been missing this whole time. "Hey, ginger. That's me you're drawing, right?" She asked. The redhead's right eye twitched at the nickname. "Yeah, you said you wanted me to draw you. _Aaaaaaand,_ don't call me 'ginger'." She blew her bangs off her eyes and scoffed. Ignoring 'ginger's' reply, the brunette went on with her point. "So, um, who's the guy supposed to be?"

This time, 'ginger' stopped drawing when she realized she had absolutely no idea who she was supposed to be drawing. She was basically doing random pencil strokes the whole time. "I don't know. Who do you want it to be?"

"What? Don't answer my question with another question!"

"W-W-What are you yelling at me for?"

"I, um, I'm not interested in tall guys?"

" _Tall guys_? I never said anything about a guy being tall."

"THEN WHY IS THAT GUY TOWERING ABOVE ME AGAINST THE WALL LIKE THAT?"

'Ginger' was silently contemplating whether she should shove the paper down her friend's throat or to ignore her sudden bipolar attitude and just draw whoever she wants it to be. "Shorty." She called her brunette friend. 'Shorty' glared at her for indirectly insulting her height. 'Ginger' was quick to say something before 'Shorty' starts throwing clever comebacks at her poor red hair. "Wait! Don't kill me! 'Short' is not even an insult, you know! Don't be a 'heightist! Rude!" She said. 'Shorty' raised an eyebrow. _What in the world is a heightist?_

The doorbell rang. "Ah, I ordered food online. Lemme get that." 'Shorty' suddenly stumbled upon standing up, putting her slippers on. 'Ginger' let out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that the delivery bo— _wait._ "YOU ORDERED FOOD WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? HEY, SHORTY! THIS IS _MY_ HOUSE!" She quickly shoved the paper down her bag and ran after the mischievous brunette. Just when they were racing each other to the door, 'Ginger' accidentally pulled 'Shorty's' shirt, causing her to fall down as soon as she opened the door.

"Delivery for—Oh." The delivery boy stared awkwardly at the two girls on the floor. 'Shorty' had her leg gripped by 'Ginger's' left hand and her whole face was covered by her messy long auburn brown hair. "I-I can't see!" She was panicking. Meanwhile, 'Ginger's' face was on the floor and her nose was bleeding. "Uh…" The delivery boy didn't know what to do and was just staring at them. "D-DELIVERY FOR ISHIKAWA HIRARI… DESU!" He managed to blurt out, accidentally sounding angry and polite at the same time. He was obviously freaking out over 'Ginger's' bleeding nose and 'Shorty's' inability to stand up.

"What the heck? You gave away my name to—" 'Ginger', now Hirari, was slightly pissed at the abrupt actions of her friend and also because she thought the delivery boy was angry. He was _shouting_ , for goodness' sake. She looked up with a frown on her face, about to tell the boy a piece of her mind when—

"KAGEYAMA TOBIO! D-DELIVERY SERVICE… DESU!" She gawked at the new guy. Funny that she never saw this delivery boy before, even though she always ordered food through the phone. He looked young, well, probably same age with her, but still. "Um, ah. L-leave it at the door, I, uhh.. Thanks. You really didn't have to tell me your name, well… hi."

" _Awkwaaaaard."_ 'Shorty' sang. She was immediately hit by a book to her face as soon as she said that. Hirari stood up and dug through her wallet(Why did she have to pay for this again?), then she handed the money to the awkward delivery boy with trembling hands. They were _both_ awkward. Her fingers brushed against his rough, calloused hands and she heated up at the contact. She was not good at interacting with guys. "Um, thank you! K-Kageyama Tobio, signing off!" He bowed down quickly and took his leave. _Signing off? Whaaaat?_

"Woah, what was that about?" 'Shorty' commented after watching the scene. Then she suddenly laughed loudly as she stood up. "What kind of delivery boy was that? He seriously said 'signing off'? HAHAHA!" Hirari was also slightly confused at the event. "You know, this is your fault." She hissed at 'Shorty'. The brunette was still laughing. "M-My sides are hurting! HAHAHA! Kageyama Tobio, was it? Nice name. 'DESU'!" She laughed at her own mockery, embarrassing Hirari further. "Here's your food, now shut it!"

* * *

"Ohhhh, look who's here. How was your loss, King?"

Kageyama threw his hat, which was part of the delivery boy uniform, on the ground out of anger. "YOU TRICKED ME, YOU BEANPOLE! YOU SAID I WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY 'SIGNING OFF' BUT WHEN I ASKED ENNOSHITA-SAN; HE SAID HE HAD NEVER DONE SUCH A THING!" He pointed accusingly at the blonde. "Oh? I wasn't the one who said that. Go blame your other servants, King." The blonde, Tsukishima Kei, had a smirk on his face.

A bald guy was laughing at the background. "I was the one who told you to do that! How does it feel, Kageyama? How does it feel losing a dare now? HAHAHA!" His laughter was immediately interrupted by a hand smacking him on the head. "Hey, you guys! What in the world did you make Kageyama do this time?" It was their captain, Daichi. "He lost our dare so we forced him to take over Ennoshita's part-time job for a day." Nishinoya grinned with a thumbs-up.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Another loud smack echoed in the gym.

* * *

" _Awkward boy plus awkward girl equals shoujo manga, true love~ Tobio plus Hirari equals—"_

"SHUT IT!"


	2. Chapter 2 Wrong School

The rain poured rather violently, immediately giving those who did not bring their umbrellas to school or work a bad start. The cars sped up as soon as the spotlight turned green, splashing water to the sidewalk and angering the people running along. They struggled to be dry, but are now wet thanks to the cars. It was a gloomy morning. Especially to a certain girl.

"…She's late. Where is she?" She impatiently tapped her foot, shivering due to the cold. " _'Oh, hey. Let's go on a tour to our new school tomorrow, Marshmallow! You still owe me with the 'Kageyama Tobio' incident so don't refuse!'_ saying that and arriving late…" The brunette complained. She may love tormenting her friend, but she also has the right to get annoyed.

"MARSHMALLOW! Over here!" A familiar voice yelled out, causing a vein to pop on 'Marshmallow's', called Shorty before, forehead. "Can you not call me 'Marshmallow' in front of _everyone_?" She placed a finger in front of her nose, bearing with the embarrassment after she noticed a few by-standers staring at her. "But it's cute, isn't it? Besides, your name is 'Marshmallow', anyway." Hirari squealed at the cute nickname, clasping her hands in delight. "W-Without further ado, let's go!" 'Marshmallow' hid her face with her messy, uncombed auburn hair and dragged her friend outside the convenience store without opening an umbrella. Wrong move.

"I-It's raining, Marshmallow!"

"No, it's extremely sunny today – of course, I know it's raining!"

"Didn't you bring an umbrella?"

"No. I don't use umbrellas… I just keep forgetting them somewhere."

"Look! Let's ride that bus, Marshmallow!"

Without waiting for a reply, Hirari dashed towards the first sign of shelter she saw – a bus. Although her companion was obviously against it, there was no other choice but to chase after the rash girl. As soon as they got on, 'Marshmallow' immediately laughed. "I thought you were supposed to be indecisive." She commented on the sudden decision of Hirari to get on the bus. "Well, I, uhh… it was raining." They sat down on the nearest available seat to the door. "Well, you were the one who dragged me outside the store, Maro-chan." Hirari continued her statement, trying hard to make it seem as if it made sense. "Wow, finally calling me by a real nickname, eh, Hira-chan?"

Hirari shrugged her shoulders, staring at her friend's identification card which was taken out of her bag. _Kaji Mashumaro._ "What? Do we need an ID to get in the school? But our first day of classes is tomorrow. Aren't those useless right now? But—" "You have a bad habit of worrying too much." She was cut off by Mashumaro, laughing at the redhead's strange behavior. "You're one to talk, Marshmallow."

Mashumaro flinched at the nickname. Scratch that, she always flinched whenever Hirari calls her that. Ever since they were doing a random research about name meanings in the computer lab at their old school and found out that 'Mashumaro' is actually the Japanese pronunciation, when written in kanji, of marshmallow, Hirari would always call her that just because it's 'cute'. Did she look like a white fluffy cylindrical confection to Hirari?

Hirari, who was by the window seat, stared intently at the droplets of water against the window. As one droplet started making its way down, it combines with the others and becomes larger before finally disappearing to the bottom of the window. "Stop daydreaming about Kageyama Tobio." Her thoughts were interrupted by Mashumaro and her face turned from a calm and serene one to a 'wow-just-wow' one. "Can you not? Why are you shipping two people who just met because of _your_ doing?" She snapped back _gently_.

Mashumaro giggled as she pressed her head back against the seat, her eyes slowly closing. Giving in to her drowsiness, she yawned. "It's because it's _my_ doing." She said before finally closing her eyes.

* * *

"Maro-chan."

She shifted her head to the left, ignoring the call.

"Hey, Maro-chan… wake up."

Her eyelids twitched.

"MARO-CHAN, WE'RE LOST."

She bolted upright out of shock, thinking it was a bad dream. Oh, right, she was in a bus so she hit her head on the seat in front of her, startling the old lady asleep on it. She was pretty sure that the bus they took wasn't a camping bus so why is everyone asleep?

"Pff—" Stifled laughter caught her attention. She turned to Hirari, who had her hands on her mouth. Raising an eyebrow, she looked outside the window. "… This isn't our school…" She calmly said. Surprised, Hirari tilted her head in confusion. "… Aren't you supposed to be angry?" Mashumaro gave herself a few seconds to register what was happening before responding. "… Oh, right. HEY, HIRARI! I'M ANGRY! Why did we take this bus?"

Hirari opened her mouth to say something, when the bus started moving again. "No, wait! Sir, we're getting off!" She stood up, accidentally hitting Mashumaro's cheek with her left hand. "S-Sorry!" They said in unison. The redhead looked at her friend in confusion. "… Why did you apologize?" She asked. Mashumaro stood up and simply said "Oh… I did?"

"Are you girls getting off or what?" The bus driver called out. "Ah, yes, sir!"

As soon as they got off the bus, it took a while before they noticed that it was still raining. "Gah! Why is our reaction time so slow!?" Mashumaro yelled as they jumped randomly in puddles, trying to avoid getting wet by placing their hands on their heads. "Why are we jumping in puddles if we don't want to get wet?" Hirari said, reaching the school gate first. They quickly ran into the school along with the other students who were late for classes. They were dripping wet from head to toe, causing the other students to look at them with a strange look on their faces. "… I don't want to go to school tomorrow and have my face be remembered by these guys." Mashumaro whispered. Hirari nodded in agreement. They put their confident(?) expression up and walked the school, thinking nobody would notice them, which is the exact opposite of what was happening.

They made their way to the freshmen corridor, completely forgetting that this was not their school. "Um… why does it seem like our uniforms are different from these guys?" Hirari silently said. Mashumaro glanced at every door, noticing that there were so many people staring at them. "…Hey, those girls are from Aoba Johsai, right?" She heard someone say.

"Y-Yeah. They're probably skipping classes and went here to beat someone up."

"Scary."

"Scary, right? They look like delinquents, too. Look at how wet they are from running in the rain."

Hirari's eyebrows furrowed. "People here are judgmental. Are we really going to attend this school?" she asked. Mashumaro gulped, a bit nervous of Hirari's loud voice as if she was trying to pick a fight with the students. "Well… this isn't _our_ new school." She reminded, realizing it on her own. Hirari's eyes widened. She smacked her own face out of humiliation. "I wish I didn't say that out loud…"

This caused Mashumaro to laugh out loud, surprising the students in the corridor. "I think I read the sign earlier. _Karasuno_ , was it?" She was giggling in the midst of her statement. "Wow… I didn't know you could be attentive sometimes, too, Maro-chan." Her red-haired companion said, with no intention of being sarcastic or insulting. "W-What's that supposed to mean?" Mashumaro quickened her pace, disturbed by the unwanted attention. Hirari started walking quickly, too, trying to catch up. "I-I didn't mean it like that, you know!" She retorted back, failing to watch where she was going. "Well, it wasn't _me_ who was daydreaming about **KAGEYAMA TOBIO THE DELIVERY BOY** in the bus earlier!"

As soon as Mashumaro said that, she glanced in front of her and abruptly stopped in her tracks. Hirari, on the other hand, failed to notice that there was a huge _wall_ in front of her and she collided with it rather painfully. "Ouch!" A male's voice and Hirari's voice yelped in unison. She clutched her head in pain. What was with that firm thing she collided with? The 'wall' yelped. _It yelped._

She looked up, and was beyond shocked. _They're freaking huge,_ she stared at the group of boys in front of her. There was a short one with orange hair, tugging at a _really_ tall blonde guy's uniform. There was also a freckled boy beside the blonde one… and then there's an _extremely_ familiar face. The familiar black-haired guy was trying to reach his back with a painful expression. "Wooooaaaah, ginger. I knew you were hard-headed, but I didn't know you were _that_ hard-headed." Again, someone just _had_ to interrupt a moment. Mashumaro was smirking behind her, watching the scene; amused.

"I-I'm sorry!" Hirari bowed to apologize, causing Mashumaro to actually see who she collided with. "'Kageyama Tobio the delivery boy'?" The short guy with orange hair let go of the blonde guy's shirt and looked up at the black-haired one who still had his hand on his back. The blonde guy and the freckled guy covered their mouths with their hands while snickering. _Crap, they heard me_. Mashumaro sweat-dropped. "You know him?" The orange-haired guy turned his attention to Mashumaro, who bit her lip. Sure, she was a master of mischief and irony, but she was always nervous when meeting new people. "Well, I, uhh, yeah?" She managed to reply. "He, well, he was the delivery boy who came to my friend's house the other day."

"W-W-Woah! You work part-time, Kageyama? I didn't know!" The smaller guy smacked Kageyama's back in excitement, making it hurt more. "Oh, it seems Hinata wasn't there when it happened, Tsuki." The freckled boy was only talking to the blonde guy, and the blonde guy chuckled in an arrogant fashion. "He was late for practice when he was called into the office because of a bad test result. Even I would have a hard time running to the gym with such short legs." The blonde guy mocked, a silly smirk still on his face. "S-Shut up, Tsukishima!" The short guy argued.

At this point on, Mashumaro and Hirari looked at them, blinking innocently. "… Is that…?" Hirari whispered, taking advantage of the fact that the boys were too busy arguing to look at them. "Your soulmate, Kageyama Tobio? Yes, it is." Mashumaro whispered back, not knowing that when it comes to his name, Kageyama's attention would easily shift. He looked at them, making both girls leap and back away out of astonishment. "… Hi?" Hirari said without thinking, causing Mashumaro to look at her in surprise and a look that says 'No, don't do it if you want to live.'

But Kageyama, too, was also surprised at the greeting. He looked down at his feet awkwardly and gritted his teeth. "Hey!" His voice did not even sound like he's greeting. He sounded like a soldier talking to an army general. His loud 'hey' caught everyone's attention. He also straightened up his body and had a tinge of pink on his face. "Your superhero's not used to interacting with people." Mashumaro was still able to tease Hirari even in a 'critical' moment, not even bothering to wonder if they heard her or not. "Hi!" The orange-haired guy greeted enthusiastically in contrast to Kageyama's awkward one. "I'm Hinata Shouyo! I'm sorry about this scary guy, he hates people." The one called Hinata pointed at Kageyama.

Kageyama looked down and smacked Hinata's hand away. "I DO NOT!" he yelled. "Oh, you don't? Here I thought all tyrant kings hate their loyal subjects." The blonde guy mocked again, followed by the small chuckle of the freckled guy. "Tsukishima, shut up, dammit!"

Mashumaro prevented herself from laughing. "He's easily-angered." She told Hirari. The other girl gulped. "Maro, can you just… _stop_? Stop observing every detail!" she hushed, her voice shaking a bit. "We have other stuff to do. No time to 'shut up' or even deal with you guys outside the classroom. Bye." Tsukishima shot a look of torment at the pair of boys outside before going inside the classroom with his freckled friend.

"What are your names? What school did you come from?" Hinata asked, still enthusiastic even after all of that. "Uh, I'm Ishikawa Hirari and this is Kaji Mashumaro… and we come from Aoba Johsai… I guess." Hirari sheepishly answered, glancing at Mashumaro as if to say 'this is your fault'. Mashumaro glanced back with a small smile of happiness with a mix of mockery that says 'how is this my fault'. "…You _guess_? And Aoba Johsai? Woah! You must know who the Great King is, don't you?" Hinata stepped forward, as Hirari backed away with her hands in front of her. "Huh? Great King? What… Um… no." She shyly answered, wondering where this guy got his burst of energy from. His wild hair color, maybe?

Mashumaro looked up at Kageyama, noticing how his eyes widened at her friend's answer. Is it strange not to know someone from Aoba Johsai? And what is with this Great King thing-a-ma-bob? Her face wrinkled, looking closely at Kageyama's expressions, as he stared at Hirari with a look of confusion.

Just then, the conversation between Hirari and Hinata got disrupted by the bell. "Ah! We're gonna be late for homeroom! See you, Ishikawa-san! Kaji-san!" Hinata waved. Kageyama, on the other hand, just bowed slightly before following Hinata to their room. The girls bowed, and stared at their disappearing backs.

"Hirari?"

"Yep?"

"… Have you ever seen someone with orange hair before?"

"Just now. You?"

"Same."

* * *

"Hinata."

"Yep?"

"So there _are_ girls from Aoba Johsai who aren't _his_ fans."

"… Ha?"


	3. Chapter 3 The Great King And The Wind

Hirari stared helplessly at the picture-covered bulletin board, wondering how Mashumaro was able to sneak into her room quietly last night. Her room looked like it was wrecked by robbers and it was filled with lots of pictures only a stalker would have. "Why does Mom even let that girl inside _my_ room in the middle of the night… while I'm sleeping?" She picked up her phone and shivered at the thought that Mashumaro would drive countless knives into her bed and she'll be trapped by the blades forever.

Shaking off her thoughts— _shake it off, shake it off_. "THAT DAMNED MARSHMALLOW CHANGED MY RING TONE." She screamed in annoyance – she went to check her phone if there were any weird messages or threats. She was ready to go to the police, if ever she sees…

 _*10 messages from Marshmallow_

 _insert pictures of Karasuno students here. The tall blonde guy is ALWAYS encircled_

 _Yo, redhead! Remember that tall blonde guy over there? I think your pretty boy mentioned the name was 'Tsukishima'? I can see a love triangle brewing. Be careful of the blonde giant._

"… I'm going to call the police." Hirari said jokingly, although she already had a murderous look on her face.

 _Dear Mashumaro-san,_

 _Stalking is against the law._

 _Love,_

 _The most innocent girl ever._

She tossed her phone to her bed, the sheets cushioning its impact, and went straight into the bathroom. "First day of school, huh? The Great King, though… wonder who that guy is…" She mumbled to herself before turning the shower on.

Meanwhile, a vibration echoed in the room.

 _*1 message from Marshmallow_

 _I didn't stalk. I went to our school yesterday after the 'Karasuno visit'. Someone named Oikawa gave it to me when he heard me singing 'Kageyama Tobio plus Ishikawa Hirari equals Kageyama Hirari~" Weird guy, he was sticking his tongue out like a kid telling me to use those for blackmail. Maybe we should call the cops?_

* * *

Tsukishima and Kageyama sneezed in unison. For the fifth time.

A man with light grey hair, Sugawara Koushi, looked at them apologetically. Daichi, who was arranging sports balls with a bespectacled black-haired girl known as Shimizu Kiyoko and a small blonde girl with short hair known as Yachi Hitoka, was staring at the duo. They weren't exactly a duo. They hated each other's guts, but anyone who knew them would stop and stare at their frequent 'harmonious' sneezing.

"I think I know why." The bald second-year, Tanaka Ryuunosuke, hit his left palm with the side of his right fist in a soft manner. Everyone, including Nishinoya Yuu and the ace of the Karasuno volleyball team, Azumane Asahi, turned to him. "What is it, Tanaka-san? Did Kageyama and Tsukishima run in the rain and didn't know they could catch a cold?" Hinata asked, immediately annoying both sneezing boys. "I think my health is good enough for me to have a strong immune system, unlike some people who only think about volleyball and forget about their health." Tsukishima glanced at Kageyama, who felt a vein popping in his forehead. "HA!? What's that supposed to mean?" Kageyama yelled.

A death aura stopped their argument as they felt their spines go numb when familiar hands patted them on the shoulders. "Listen to your senior." Their captain had an incredibly _sweet_ smile on his face. With Daichi's signal, Tanaka cleared his throat as if he actually knew what he was going to say. "Kageyama and Tsukishima…" he started. Everyone swallowed their own saliva, waiting for Tanaka's theory in anticipation even though they were _clearly_ aware that it was going to be…

"Tsukishima's and Kageyama's sneezing are all because of 'enemy telepathy'."

… stupid.

Nishinoya was already laughing hard on the floor, clutching his stomach in pain. They were both hit on the head by Daichi. "You guys…" He gritted under his teeth. "Ah! Um, does the volleyball club have a fan club?" The chaos was interrupted by Yachi who let out a squeak when all attention was turned to her. "Huh, what do you mean, Yachi-san?" Hinata was the first to respond, tilting his head in innocence. He doesn't even know what a fan club does. "U-Umm… they say you sneeze when someone's talking about you, so I kind of thought…" Her voice trailed off.

"Tsuki is really popular with gi—"

"I don't know anyone who would talk about me necessarily."

Tsukishima quickly cut off Yamaguchi before he could accidentally blurt out something _private_ and the tall blonde would have to deal with countless razzing from his team mates. He did not plan to let anyone know about the constant struggle every Valentines' Day, whenever he opens his locker and numerous love letters and chocolates come flying at his face. Even if it's a girl like Yachi who asked him in a rather harmless way, he would never tell.

"H-How about Kageyama-kun?" Yachi immediately noticed the change of aura emanating from Tsukishima so she ended up changing the center of attention in an awkward and obvious way. Before Kageyama could respond, Hinata burst out laughing. He went beside Kageyama, still laughing. Kageyama growled, grabbing Hinata's collar and started shaking him violently. "You…!" Yachi started freaking out at the violence in front of her, until Daichi started shouting. "Ah… another normal day." Sugawara sighed.

Tsukishima and Kageyama sneezed in unison. For the sixth time.

* * *

"Hey, want a sneak peek to your drawing request?" Hirari waved the back of the paper she was holding, trying to catch Mashumaro's interest. She succeeded, as Mashumaro took her attention from the game she was playing to the paper. Classes were over and the two girls were chilling on a lunch table in the courtyard. "Okay." She agreed with no hesitation, wondering if the other girl had already finished it. If she did finish it, who would be the guy in the art piece?

"Wait a sec." Hirari placed the drawing on the far edge of the table away from Mashumaro's eyes and took a picture of it with her phone. Then she put the drawing back in her bag and started messing with her phone with a weird, silly smile on her face. This only made Mashumaro sweat-drop. "Here!" Hirari beamed with sparkling eyes as if she had just won the lottery, showing her cellphone screen to the perplexed brunette.

Most of the parts of the portrait were blurred with black while only a small triangle portion could be seen clearly. On the top of the triangle, blonde curly hair could be seen. Mashumaro's pupils moved downward slowly, and she was slightly disturbed at the hunch she had. The hairs on the back of her neck stood which gave her the tingles. Temples of eyeglasses were visible, and then a small part of the mouth was seen, and then came the jawline. "You've got to be kidding me." She muttered dangerously. Hirari flinched, a bit afraid. She might die today. She really _might_ die today.

Mashumaro's mood quickly changed when she found something in the drawing that made her widen her eyes and laugh like the usual bizarre girl she is. Hirari raised an eyebrow. Before the redhead could even ask anything, the former was able to say something in the midst of her gasps for air and hearty laughter.

"AHA! THERE'S THE MISSING HAMBURGER!"

Hirari's face went beet red. She really did not want to admit she had a hard time trying to make the drawing look 'sweet', especially because of the random hamburger ruining the moment. She kept thinking that this is 'not a shoujo manga', to give herself an excuse to not remove the hamburger from the scene. She opened her mouth, about to say something to stop Mashumaro before anyone could notice them, when at the corner of her eye; she saw a figure approaching them. She turned her head on instinct, and her mouth was caught in a firm, but soft hand of the stranger. "Shh! I just escaped from the girls! Do me a favor and don't scream please!" A good-looking fellow wearing a varsity jacket whispered to her. Mashumaro stopped laughing and looked at the same man who gave her the pictures. "It's you! Oikawa, right?" She let out a mischievous grin. Oikawa felt a large arrow strike him when he realized that Mashumaro purposely said his name without honorifics. Not even a 'senpai'.

Hirari slapped Oikawa's hand away and freaked. Hiding behind Mashumaro, she pointed her shaking finger at him and flailed her arm in front of Oikawa. "Y-You! You're scary! I thought I was gonna die!"

Oikawa felt another large arrow striking him. Before the girls knew it, he was on the ground, cuddling his knees and sulking. "… A girl never called me 'scary' before… sob sob…" He was murmuring to himself. "…When did you start becoming friends with this alien?" Hirari asked Mashumaro, coldly staring at Oikawa. She will never forget how he just _touched_ her mouth like that, and she rarely even talks to a boy. Mashumaro didn't say anything but sighed in return. After just a few seconds, Oikawa was back to his feet and laughed, making the girls back away. "Creepy." Mashumaro's voice shook.

"GIRLS! I want you to blackmail the Karasuno volleyball team with the pictures! Then they will finally give in and lose team spirit due to you two causing problems! Then they will lose focus during games! And then they—"

"I don't really get it, but how did you know we were at Karasuno yesterday?"

A gentle smile appeared on Oikawa's face, but the girls could sense it wasn't a real one. "I saw you girls taking a bus yesterday and was wondering why you took a bus that drives through Karasuno." He said. "Oh, and I was inside the same convenience store, too! When I noticed you girls were wearing the uniform of my school, I didn't know why you weren't waving at me or chasing me or…" He rambled on, twiddling with his fingers with an obviously fake shy look on his face. The two girls weren't paying attention anymore. Hirari looked at Mashumaro and pointed subtly at Oikawa. The latter shrugged her shoulders.

"… So I saw the brunette yesterday and heard her singing Tobio-chan's name and thought I was lucky to meet you, girls!" Just then, Oikawa's calm and happy demeanor changed into a sour and unpleasant one. The atmosphere started to become heavy. "But I don't want to use ill tricks and harmless women to bring my beloved junior down." His eyes were deadly. His eyebrows were furrowed.

He looked angry.

Hirari's throat felt dry. There was an eerie silence as the wind kissed their faces, the strands of their hair dancing along its direction. "Oikawa, the wind is speaking to you. I don't know what it's saying, though; I don't speak wind."

But of course, there's always someone who can't read the atmosphere. In this case, it's the brunette girl.


	4. Chapter 4 Stalking Consequences

"BRUH!"

The loud squeaky voice echoed throughout the house. Footsteps were heard getting louder as the culprit descended down the stairs, tripping along the way and falling flat on the floor face-first. Again, the poor girl's nose was bleeding just like before. Meanwhile, the other person stared at her guiltily, holding a glass of orange juice. "What just happened that made you so giddy and loud and suddenly came running to me as if you've seen a ghost?" Mashumaro drank from her glass. Once again, she decided to stay the night in Hirari's house for the weekend.

It took a long time before Hirari could move her head to look up at Mashumaro. She was still lying flat on the floor in a starfish position. "Are you o—" Mashumaro squealed in surprise when Hirari raised her head to look at her in a snappish manner, nose still bleeding. "HOLD ME PLEASE!" She jumped to her feet, successfully scaring Mashumaro unintentionally. "H-Hold you? Why me? I'm not Kageyama." The latter retorted back, even after what seemed to be one of the scariest moments in her life. "SCREW YOU!" Hirari yelled, while holding out a piece of paper in front of Mashumaro's face. "I was staring at the drawing for two hours, unable to sleep or rest or do homework, trying to figure out what was wrong with my sketch, but I edited it with my tablet and _bam_ beautiful, powerful, dangerous, brave!" Hirari jumped on the couch excitedly, leaving Mashumaro completely clueless.

Mashumaro set the glass on the coffee table and opened her laptop. "W-Well, uh, okay." Was the only thing she was able to say. Usually, Mashumaro would tease her friend about _everything_ she notices and sometimes she doesn't even mean to offend people but she does, but there are also these rare times when she's completely clueless. The girl had a mischievous personality, partly because she had an inability to read the atmosphere. "I just need to edit it into something 'WOW!' and something 'WOAH!' and that! You're gonna love this drawing, Maro-chan!" Hirari quickly ran up the stairs. Mashumaro heard a loud 'ow' and a door thud. She shook her head and sighed. "Oh, Hirari."

She glimpsed at the black usb she forced Oikawa to surrender. It wasn't easy, although Oikawa gave it to her for the sole reason of 'there are embarrassingly adorable pictures of my beloved junior there along with his team', she knew he wasn't serious with the "Plan A: Blackmail And Distract Them!". After all, his world almost came crashing down and his 'coolness' failed when she told him she didn't speak wind. She inserted the usb into her laptop and clicked on the folder. "…Oh my giggling gibberish." She reacted. There really _were_ 'embarrassingly cute' pictures there. "Silly person must have asked someone to take these pictures during a volleyball game." Then again, why would Oikawa suddenly take interest in two girls who met Kageyama Tobio and accidentally rode a bus to Karasuno High? Why give them the pictures?

Again, her thoughts were interrupted by loud running footsteps. "Hirari, if you trip again, I swear—" Too late. _Thud_. "Owwwww…" Now both nostrils were bleeding. "If you keep on tripping over the stairs and making your nose bleed, Kageyama won't even try to kiss your bloody face anymore." Mashumaro laughed mockingly.

Hirari immediately heated up at the remark. She stood up and pointed at Mashumaro with her mouth agape, no words coming out. She was also quivering terribly. "You! You! You did not just say—" She cut her own sentence by screaming. She cursed herself for having such an imaginative mind, and she started banging her head against the wall.

"Aren't you interested, though?" Mashumaro turned back to the laptop again. Hirari stopped her 'embarrassment cure techniques' and looked at her friend inquisitively. "Oikawa-san's good-looking and all, but he's scary." Hirari shuddered at the memory. "Besides, why'd you insist on taking the usb? It's not like we're going to use those, anyway." She complained in a nice tone. Hirari has always been the type to carefully choose her words and statements, although she has a lot of trouble stringing her whole point together. "I'm… well, I'm curious." Mashumaro answered.

"Curious about what?"

"Curious about why he hates your prince."

A pillow was thrown at Mashumaro's face. "Why do you keep on shipping me to someone I've only met _twice_? And all of those were your doing!" Hirari accused, flailing her arms. Mashumaro just laughed at her reaction, amused. "First meeting was my doing. The second one was yours. Who was the one who got into that bus out of panic in the first place? Anyway, just out of curiosity, let's try out that Oikawa guy's plan." She finally was able to say. Hirari gawked at her, her face clearly saying 'wtf'. "No!" She was quick to decline, not wanting her life to go in circles and get involved in other people's conflict. "Let's not get too involved! I'm sure the Oikawa person is just messing with us because he heard you si—" Hirari stopped before she could finish her sentence.

That's right. Hirari recalled that Oikawa heard Mashumaro singing ' _Kageyama Tobio plus Ishikawa Hirari equals Kageyama Hirari~'_

"… This really is _your_ fault." Hirari was now glaring daggers at Mashumaro who was now a bit nervous if she went too far again or if she did something extremely wrong. "Well, I…" Mashumaro started thinking up of the many excuses she can come up with; when she noticed the tablet Hirari was holding. On the screen was a familiar drawing. She closed her laptop and tackled Hirari to the couch. "Ow! My nose will bleed again! W-Wait! That tickles! Hahaha!" The tablet slipped from Hirari's hands and in a swift motion, Mashumaro grabbed it before running around the room.

"Marshmallow! Give that back!" What started as a harmless conversation turned into a chase for anti-humiliation. It was a struggle for Mashumaro to run around the house and up the stairs, looking at the tablet screen. When she finally reached Hirari's room, which was now tidy, she stopped. This time, Hirari snatched the tablet away. "My poor baby… don't worry. Mommy's here now." She snuggled the tablet to her face and 'hmp'd' at Mashumaro. The latter could not say a word. "The guy you drew with me…" She said hesitantly. What was Hirari thinking? Mashumaro had nothing to do with this 'shoujo fairytale'.

"Well, I… h-he was tall! So, I thought he'd be a good reference for, um…" Hirari avoided eye contact.

* * *

The sound of rubber bouncing on wood was music to their ears. It was a normal sound to them; a very familiar and nostalgic sound. Not only do they remember it from their previous games but they wish to hear it now and to the future. "Left!" Their captain yelled loud enough for them to hear. Blockers scrambled to the direction, awaiting an upcoming quick. That was until Hinata ran the other direction to the spot where there are no blockers and awaited the feel of the ball on his palm. _Bam_. Another sound of the rubber bouncing against wood. "YES!" Hinata and Tanaka rose up their hands and gave each other a double high-five. Kageyama started wriggling his fingers.

"Hey! You're wriggling your fingers like a pervy old man again! You sure have weird habits, you know!" Hinata put his hands on his own arms and winced. "Ha!? You barely even hit my toss earlier!" Kageyama yelled back. Sugawara sighed in the background. "H-Hey, guys. Daichi will get mad." Asahi held up his hands, trying to get their attention with a look of horror in his face. "This is why the other teams doubt us being the team who played a full set against Seijo." Tsukishima pointed out before drinking water. Yamaguchi sneered in support.

It was a normal day for the crows. _Almost_.

"Alright, let's practice receiving for now! Although Sawamura and Nishinoya can handle receiving the ball from the other side of the net, it would be a big boost if at least most of you could handle the opponent's serves." Their coach, Ukai Keishin, clapped his hands as a signal to start. "Yes, sir!" The boys' volleyball club bowed before running to their positions. "They sure are energetic as usual." The club advisor, Takeda Ittetsu, had his classic smile on his face. Ukai rubbed his chin, venturing deep in thought. He stood up and clapped his hands twice. "Kageyama! Hinata! Come over here for a sec."

At the sound of their names, the two boys ran towards the bench, accidentally bumping into each other. "Oi! Watch where you're going, dumbass!" Kageyama yelled. "I could say the same to you!" Hinata growled back. Ukai face-palmed whilst Takeda chuckled apologetically. As soon as the boys reached their coach, Ukai cleared his throat. "I need you two to practice your quicks for now. It's at least 90% accurate, but the remaining 10% could be accomplished with a little more practice. Hinata, Kageyama was right earlier. You barely hit the toss. The two of you are essential for Karasuno's attack power. Alright!" He dismissed them. "Got it." Kageyama nodded. "Yes!" Hinata followed.

"Yachi!" Hinata ran toward the blonde girl who was picking up balls the players missed while receiving. "Oh, Hinata!" She greeted back. "Kageyama and I are going to practice a quick. Is it okay if you throw for us?" The boy clasped his hand together and closed his eyes. Yachi settled the balls down on the cart before answering. "Sure!"

The two boys positioned themselves on another side of the court. "Kageyama! Toss! Toss now!" Hinata yelled, instantly pissing Kageyama off. "I get it already!" The latter gritted his teeth. He turned to Yachi who was patiently waiting for a gesture, and nodded. The blonde girl nodded back and threw the ball over Kageyama's head. The setter watched Hinata run to the side and pinpointed the highest point of the spike before tossing to the latter. Unfortunately, the ball did not reach Hinata and the toss was too short. "Oi, Kageyama! I thought you said you'd be able to do it _perfectly_ now!" The spiker complained.

Kageyama death-glared Hinata, scaring Yachi who was watching from afar. "Tsk! I'm trying, dumbass!" He shouted back. He looked down at the floor and let out a sigh to calm himself down. "Just drop it… drop it…" He whispered to himself. Then he faced Yachi again and nodded. The girl responded by throwing another ball. _"Drop it, drop it…"_ Kageyama kept his focus, repeating the phrase over and over calmly. He tossed the ball to the direction of Hinata's spike. _Bam._

The ball bounced on the court. Meanwhile, Yachi stared in awe at the fast events. Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard the gym door creaking and noticed it slightly opening. _"W-who's that?! A ghost?"_ She started freaking out. Just when her mind was disoriented, Kageyama and Hinata shouted "One more!", startling her out of her wits. She let out loud 'eep' as she threw the ball. "A-ah! I threw it wrong!" She realized it when she noticed Kageyama moving from his original position just to reach it. When he tossed it to Hinata, he ended up doing his old quick toss. "Crap!" He watched as the ball did not drop and went pass Hinata's hand swiftly, confusing the short guy.

Hinata tried chasing the ball, but was surprised to see it shoot through the now open gym door and landed on the face of whoever entered. Everyone turned to look at the victim, stopping their business.

The ball dropped from the person's face and she fell flat on the floor, face first. Her companion beside her stared with wide eyes, obviously not expecting the ball. "A ball? A flying ball?! How?" Said companion seemed more concerned about how the ball flew than the fact that her friend was lying flat on the floor.

"WAAAH!" Both Yachi and Hinata shrieked. "Is she dead!? She's dead!" Yachi hid behind Hinata in panic as the boy slowly tiptoed toward the person. Ukai and Takeda stood up from their seats to check what was going on. "Nice execution, King." Tsukishima called out to Kageyama, who glared at him. The raven-haired boy ran to the person he accidentally hit, not knowing that even Yachi blamed herself for throwing the ball wrong. He bent down, hesitating to touch the girl's shoulder.

Before he could even touch it, the girl's arms moved, supporting herself to sit up. Her head was still bent down, and blood started dripping. "GAAAAAAAAH!" Shrieks were heard from all directions and everyone's face turned pale with horror. Well, except Tsukishima. He's always an exemption.

Kageyama gulped. He has never felt so flustered. He had never blushed out of guilt before. The odds of him hitting someone on the face with a toss are close to 1%. "Ah, the King doesn't want to apologize." Tsukishima had a smug look on his face. This only provoked Kageyama, making him touch the girl's shoulder without thinking. The next event almost made him jump. "YOU!" Venom dripped from the victim's voice as she pointed at his face without looking, her other hand on her face. "YOU DOORKNOB! SCREW YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT, MARS—"

Before she even finished her statement, she looked up to see who she was talking to. _Crap_.

An awkward silence filled the room. Nobody moved a muscle.

"Pfft. 'Doorknob'." Tsukishima just _had_ to break that silence.

Kageyama stared at the girl, slightly panicking on the inside. It was the first time a girl was able to yell at him with no fear. Most of them just run away when they see his intimidating face. He doesn't even do anything. They just run away. Even if he hit them with a ball to the face, they will most likely run away rather than pick a fight with him. Bonus intimidation points if it's a girl.

Hirari stared at the guy, _excessively_ panicking on the inside. She didn't know it was him! She thought the person was Mashumaro! She wasn't the type to pick a fight with guys or yell at them. Heck, she was afraid of them, for goodness' sake. Even if it's someone as good-looking as Oikawa. If she knew it was a guy, she'd run away as soon as possible. Bonus speed if it's Kageyama Tobio.

" _Aaaaaaaannnnnd_ , just in case you don't know, I'm over here. _Aaaaaand_ … one more thing. Your nose is bleeding." Mashumaro's voice was heard from behind her. Hirari stood up, hand still on her bleeding nose and ran out of the gym screaming "I'M SORRY!". The volleyball team looked at one another, before Nishinoya and Tanaka put their hands on each of Kageyama's shoulders. "A true man chases after a girl when she runs." Nishinoya advised. "Especially if it's Kiyoko-san." Tanaka said after. "STOP MAKING IT WORSE!" Daichi grabbed the back of their shirts and picked them up as if they were kittens. "No way!" Mashumaro gasped. "You can actually _carry_ them like that? Woaaaaah, so strong!"

Everyone's attention turned to the other girl. Their stares gave Mashumaro shivers down her spine. "Ah! Kaji-san! You came to visit again? Do you want to watch us practice?" Hinata greeted her upon noticing her. "You know her?" Sugawara asked. "I think she and her friend were Kageyama's customers when—" The freckled boy beside Tsukishima, Yamaguchi Tadashi, failed to continue what he was going to say when Kageyama snapped his head toward him and shot him a glare. "Um… sorry for asking, Kaji-san. But, uhh… aren't you going to chase after your friend?" Sugawara rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

There was a long pause before Mashumaro smiled sweetly, a complete opposite to the aura she was giving off. This made everyone nervous. "Eh… But I'm not Kageyamaaa~" She said in a sing-song voice.

The third-years looked like their souls just went out of their body, thinking about how brave the girl was to say something like that. The second years looked at Kageyama with an evil grin on their faces. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi stifled their laughter. Hinata tilted his head in confusion. "Um, does it have to be Kageyama?" He asked. "Of course! Kageyama made the girl cry! Go chase after her, dammit!" Tanaka was pounding his hand on Kageyama's back. "Yeah, yeah! Go apologize!" Nishinoya pounded his hand on his back as well. Kageyama's eyebrow was twitching in annoyance. He glanced at Mashumaro, who only gave him a _really_ sweet smile. Kageyama flinched, not knowing how to react. His mouth slowly curved upward.

Everyone backed away. "W-W-What's that on your face? Are those teeth?" Hinata's voice trembled as they all backed away. Yachi had her mouth hung agape as she felt all her hairs stand up. "K-Kageyama's smiling! Well, sort of." Sugawara said.

It was a normal day for the crows. _Almost_.

* * *

"YOU IDIOT!" Iwaizumi yelled at Oikawa. "YOU SERIOUSLY GAVE SOME RANDOM GIRLS THE USB? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING, SHITTYKAWA?" A loud smack was heard in the Aoba Johsai gym. "E-eh, Iwa-chan, stop! That hurt! And that usb is no longer of use to me, anyway!" Oikawa rubbed his head in pain, fake tears stinging his eyes. He then sighed and picked up a ball from the cart. "Besides," he started, as he prepared for a jump-serve. "It's more entertaining this way."

 _Bam._


	5. Chapter 5 Awkward Shoujo Manga

Kageyama hastily checked one floor and another as he tried to find the girl he accidentally hit. He had a pissed-off look on his face, recalling the disturbing faces of Tanaka and Nishinoya when he was forced to leave the gym and apologize. This was the _third_ time he made a fool out of himself in front of the same girl. He decided to apologize, anyway, to prevent further embarrassment. "Kageyama Tobio the delivery boy!" He felt his head hurt when he heard someone call him by the name. He looked behind him with killer eyes and stared at the source of all the humiliation he experienced.

The girl grinned widely at him. "Okay, okay. Stop staring at me like that. I know you hate me now for everything that has happened to you, but listen." She held out her hands defensively, sweat dripping from her forehead. "H-huh? I-I was born with this face!" Kageyama looked down at his feet. This only made Mashumaro laugh out loud, annoying Kageyama further. "You're funny! I like you! Not in _the weird_ kind of way, but as a person." She said. The former's eyes looked up at her, a confused expression on his face, although it seemed as though he has no expression at all. "Huh? Is there any other way to like a person?"

Mashumaro raised an eyebrow. Just by that one statement, she had therefore concluded that Kageyama Tobio is inexperienced.

"N-Never mind." She decided to drop the subject, thinking it would be a huge pain in the neck to explain it to the guy in front of her who's probably only aware of the love he has for volleyball. "Anyway… her name is Hirari. Oh, and she doesn't like dark places. Get a hint." She smirked. "And, oh, is it okay if I get your number, I'm just going to send you some—" Her hands dug into her pockets. She froze in place. Kageyama patiently waited for her to finish, but she just stood there with a dread-filled face. "… MY PHONE! I MUST HAVE DROPPED IT IN THE GYM! OH, WAIT, MAYBE WHEN I WENT TO CHASE YOU? NO, WAIT! ARGHJUSTGIVEYOURNUMBERTOHIRARIFORMEI'LLGETITWHENISEEHER!" She yelled while dashing away.

Kageyama wasn't sure if he heard the last part right, but he continued his search, anyway. It was almost night time and practice will soon be over. He didn't want to miss anything anymore. As he walked along the lockers, he remembered Mashumaro mentioning about Hirari's fear of the dark. "Ah, dammit." He scratched his head and wondered why he went through the shoe lockers. He hypothesized that she was probably outside. Well, until the sun sets, at least.

He hurriedly walked, not wanting to waste another minute of practice, shielding his eyes from the light of the sunset as soon as he went out. His eyes adjusted to his surroundings and noticed a silhouette sitting under the shade of a tree. He slowly walked towards the person, careful not to scare her, trying his best to face her with a smile for less intimidation. "Oi." He called out.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, she squealed in surprise. "W-wait! Don't go!" Kageyama reacted before she could run away. _"W-Wha-!? 'Don't go'!? T-This is not a shoujo manga!"_ Hirari started trembling all over. "U-Um, well, uh, I… I…" She stuttered, her embarrassments flashing back in her mind and her eyes felt like swirling. Meanwhile, Kageyama was inwardly panicking, trying to remember the hints Mashumaro told him. _"Dammit, dammit, dammit, what did I forget?_ " He didn't notice the scary look he had on his face, causing Hirari to hug the tree. He remembered Mashumaro mentioning her first name. No, wait. He can't call her by her first name! That's too awkward!

He noticed Hirari on the verge of fainting. He straightened his posture like a soldier saluting his comrade. His whole body stiffened, and he opened his mouth to say something. But what? How do people apologize again? Was he supposed to bow down or treat her ice cream to compensate?

The girl knew that if it weren't for the embarrassments she had experienced, she wouldn't even be avoiding him in the first place. There was no reason to avoid someone. It just so happened that the person in front of her is the same person who kept seeing her acting stupid. She silently cursed Mashumaro's name, wishing that the girl experience a much worse embarrassment in the near future. Just then, Kageyama decided that it's now or never. If he can't get her attention now, she'll keep running away in the future and everything would remain awkward. Plus, it was pride-damaging.

Wait… what was her last name again? Mashumaro didn't remind him. He's doomed for life now.

"H-H-Hil… Hiro… Hirari!" He blurted out. He felt his entire face heat up. What the heck is he doing? He was _still_ embarrassing himself. Hirari finally looked at him with wide eyes, a bit stunned. That was until he decided to smile to make things 'good'. His lips curved upward and he squinted his eyes and—

"GAH!" That finished Hirari up. Kageyama swore he saw her soul leave her body as she rested her head on the tree and her facial expression looked like she had seen a ghost. She was whispering something repeatedly as her soul continued to get out of her body. "I-I'm… s-s-sorry… I…" she mumbled.

Kageyama's hands balled into a fist. His body was still stiff and straight. It was as if he was a palace guard. He looked down and bit his lip. "I'm s-so… sir… sore… sure… sorry…"

 _Silence._

 _Silence._

 _Silence._

He was still staring at his feet, waiting for a response. Hirari's soul seeped back into her body and she shook her head in disbelief. Kageyama looked up very, _very_ slowly, careful not to let her notice that he's looking at her. He saw her through his bangs, and her eyebrows were furrowed. Suddenly, she slapped both her cheeks with her hands, surprising Kageyama. His eyes widened and he let out a small gasp and watched her breathe in and breathe out. She then started stretching. Kageyama had no idea what was going on anymore. For Hirari, this is a part of her 'embarrassment cure techniques'. When she was stretching for the last time, she lost her balance. "Wha—" She quickly grabbed a branch, only to end up scratching her finger on the rough branches when her hand slid, injuring them. "Ow!" She immediately lost her grip due to the pain.

Just as she was about to fall down, Kageyama grabbed her hand out of instinct.

Time went slow for her. She felt the rough, calloused hands on her soft skin. Her mind was slow to register what just happened. Kageyama pulled her back in balance, with no more sign of nervousness at all. She looked at his hand on her arms. It wasn't like the sweet rescue moments like in most shoujo manga. His hand was not soft. His grip was too tight, enough to leave a mark on her skin later. It wasn't the one in women's fantasies.

But he was warm.

"Um…" She wriggled her hands. Kageyama blinked, obviously not getting the hint. "Um… your grip…" She glanced at his eyes every now and then. "…Oh." Kageyama finally got it and he tried to gently release her. For the first time since they met, they actually looked each other in the eye. It was a struggle for Hirari, though. The guy was tall. "Your hands are bleeding." Kageyama really knows how to ruin a moment.

Hirari stared at her right hand. She let out a sigh of relief, since it was her right hand that got injured instead of her left. For once, she's actually happy that she's left-handed. "I have bandages." Kageyama offered. He can finally string his words properly and things were finally patched up. Except for Hirari's hand. "Oh, okay. Please." Hirari bowed down politely. Kageyama responded by taking out the bandages from his jacket's pocket and handing them to her. She took it with trembling hands. He watched her wrap the bandage around her hand clumsily, as she struggled to circle it around her hand. When she finally finished, she bit the bandages to separate them from the part she wrapped around her hand. Then she handed it to Kageyama.

She was about to give her thanks when she noticed Kageyama staring at the bandaged wound. Wrinkling her face out of confusion, she looked at her work. The scratches weren't fully bandaged. There were some parts unevenly wrapped and some ends sticking out here and there. The curves were crumpled and the finger wrappings were so thick, they looked like sausages. Realization dawned upon Hirari and she buried her face with both of her hands.

Kageyama snorted, but his face went back to normal instantly.

Hirari peaked through her fingers with curious eyes. She slowly uncovered her face and tilted her head. "What?" Kageyama asked. "I never heard you laugh before." Hirari answered. She thought it would be rude to tell him that she actually thought he doesn't know how to laugh, so she decided to lessen the impact of her words. "I didn't!" Kageyama shouted defensively. He regretted it right after, thinking the girl would panic again. But she didn't. She kept staring at him with the same curious eyes. "Maybe you should laugh more." She smiled. Kageyama was taken aback, and looked away. He noticed that the sun was almost out. "L-let me do it!" He grabbed her hand and took off the messy bandages and went on to place a neater wrapping around the wound. This time, she watched his face. He looked quite calm, different from the scary and awkward person she thought he was. Except for the fact that his grip was still too tight. When he was finished, Hirari caressed the bandaged hand in awe. It was incredibly neat and well done. "Thank you, Kageyama."

Kageyama nodded. "Let's go back. Your friend's waiting for you." He started walking; remembering the thing Mashumaro was telling him before she ran off. Hirari wanted to call out and ask him to wait, since he had longer legs and she was unable to keep up with his pace. Instinctively, she grabbed on to his shirt. Kageyama did not seem to mind, although he turned his head and saw her catching her breath. He finally remembered what Mashumaro said, although he was not sure.

"Hirari… ah, I mean… uhh…"

"Ishikawa."

"Ishikawa?"

"Yes? Do you need anything?"

"Yes. Your number."

* * *

Shimizu and Yachi were both searching in every nook and corner, trying to help out Mashumaro, although the brunette insisted she can find it on her own. "Are you sure you dropped it here?" The bespectacled manager asked, checking under the benches. Mashumaro twiddled her fingers. She may be loud when she's with Hirari, but she's extremely antisocial and prefers to keep a few people close to her both physically and emotionally. "Uh, I actually don't know but this is the place where I could have lost it most likely." She explained.

She may look calm, but in truth, she was already sweating crazily. No member of the volleyball team should find that phone. It'll be the death of her reputation. Although she just decided to put _it_ on her phone because _it_ was "cute", there was no other meaning to it. But she knew that anyone who sees it would misunderstand.

Meanwhile, on the way to the clubroom, a certain phone was in the hands of someone. The person probably didn't know that the owner was searching for the phone and just happened to find it while walking from the gym to the club room. The person also didn't know who owned the phone.

Out of boredom, said person clicked on the home button, not knowing about something in the phone that could make time freeze, and stopped in their tracks when the wallpaper popped up. It was a drawing of a girl and a guy who had never even met yet. The person froze in his tracks.

Because the guy was him.

Just then, the moment was interrupted by a male's voice.

"Wait for me, Tsuki!" The freckled boy called out.


	6. Chapter 6 Numbers

"Hey, Hirari."

"Yep?"

"Choose between blonde, black, and brown."

"Um… blonde, I guess? What for?"

"It will determine my fate for tomorrow. It'll be your fault if anything wrong happens. Haha."

"H-How is it my fault?"

"Oh, by the way… I lost my phone."

* * *

She tapped her fingers to her desk, fidgeting restlessly. It was okay to lose her phone, just not in the Karasuno gym. Never in the Karasuno gym. She could not pay attention in class and almost didn't answer when her name was called for the attendance. The girl was so busy in her thoughts; she didn't notice the ringing bell, a sign for class dismissal. It was lunch time.

With a loud thud, a lunchbox was placed on her table, catching her attention. "You're not yourself today!" The person holding the lunchbox said with a determined expression. She looked up and saw Hirari staring at her, eyebrows slanted. "Mashumaro!" Hirari said again. The redhead looked around to check if there's anyone listening then leaned in to whisper something to her friend. Mashumaro blinked once, wondering if there's something going on today. "Everyone has gone to the cafeteria so we can eat here today. Let's talk about your missing phone."

Hirari grabbed her table, which was in front of Mashumaro's spot, and placed it beside Mashumaro's. She then pulled her chair and set it. "You're quiet today." She finally said it. The brunette sighed in reply, rummaging through her bag for her lunch. "Is there something in your phone that's _too_ private for anyone to see?" Hirari asked. Mashumaro froze. She looked up at Hirari, who obviously didn't mean to guess it right. Of course, she chose not to answer. Her reputation is at stake. "Oh, by the way! Remember the drawing I did? Why did you request it, by the way?"

This time, Mashumaro flinched and her whole face went red. She dropped the shrimp she was about to eat and a sweat drop fell from her forehead. "I-I wanted to use your drawing somewhere! I'm a proud friend, you know! There is no other meaning to it! Nope, nope! It wasn't my fault you drew a 'kabe-don' or whatever you call it or something or…" Hirari stared at her friend in suspicion as the former was having trouble to string her words together and ended up babbling nonsense. It was rare to see Mashumaro so… _vulnerable_. "Um, but you know, I think the worst case scenario is that you probably saved that drawing in your phone or something and someone from the Karasuno team found your phone and…" Hirari's voice trailed off when she noticed Mashumaro looking at her as if the brunette gave up on life. Instead of pushing her buttons further, Hirari decided to eat in silence, although she wasn't used to silences with Mashumaro.

After a few minutes, a student opened the door to the classroom. "Ah! Ishikawa from the art club, yes? Our president's looking for you! It's an emergency, but it won't really take long!" The student clasped her hands and signaled for Hirari to come over. "Huh? Oh, okay!" Hirari nodded and stood up, covering her lunchbox. "Hey, um, I'll be back in a jiffy, okay? Stay here!" She hurriedly ran out of the classroom. Mashumaro watched as the door closed and she was alone in her thoughts once again. She picked up the shrimp with her chopsticks and opened her mouth, when she felt a strong vibration on the desk. Again, she dropped the shrimp for the second time out of surprise. It was then that she noticed that Hirari left her phone on her desk.

That very moment struck an idea into her brain. She looked around before picking up Hirari's phone, about to dial her own phone number. Unfortunately, the message popped up on the screen before she could even do anything. "Oh, well. At least I could tell her it's not my fault the message was opened." She rolled her eyes. She looked at the message, thinking she saw something that piqued her interest.

 _*1 new message from xxxx-xxx-xxxx_

 _Just a hunch, but I think your friend has lost her phone. If I'm wrong, don't waste your time replying. If I'm right, come to the café a few blocks away from Karasuno at 6pm if she still wants it back._

She gawked at the message. She rubbed her eyes, thinking it was just a dream, before reading the message again. Before everything could sink in, Hirari arrived. "I… I… I'm sorry… just a little emergency…" The redhead said in between her panting. "Wait… why are you holding my phone?" Hirari snatched the phone from her friend's hand, a bit panicked. This action finally made Mashumaro laugh for the first time on this day. "Oh? Is there something in your phone that's _too_ private for anyone to see?" The brunette smiled, throwing back the same question at Hirari. "No! I just…" Hirari stole a glance at her screen and noticed a message opened. She read it carefully and gasped. "W-Who's this?" Hirari extended her hand for the phone to reach Mashumaro's face, almost smacking it to her nose. "I don't know, but maybe the person who has my phone? Can you go ask who it is?" Mashumaro backed away, not wanting her face to absorb so much radiation.

Hirari typed quickly, wishing it was someone she actually knew. She hesitated in pressing the send button. "There's a part of me that says 'don't press it', but…" she muttered to herself.

 _*Sent to xxxx-xxx-xxxx_

 _WHO ARE YOU!? O ^ O_

Mashumaro stood up from her seat to check on the messages, trying her best to keep calm. If she panicked there, Hirari _will_ notice that she put something on her phone which she thought was completely harmless. She really didn't like the guy in that kind of way. Plus, the only reason Hirari drew him in that picture was because he had the same height as the one she drafted. There was no other reference. And she definitely did _not_ request a 'kabe-don'.

The phone vibrated. Both girls squeaked, bracing themselves for the unknown.

 _*1 new message from xxxx-xxx-xxxx_

 _Someone from the Karasuno volleyball club your friend wouldn't want to meet if she still values her pride. Unless this isn't her phone._

Mashumaro covered her face with her hands and fell to the floor. She faced the wall and was shaking terribly. "L-Let's go get my phone while we still have the chance!" She gathered the little courage she has left and faced Hirari with a slightly unwavering will. Hirari sensed her friend's seriousness and placed her arms on her hips before shouting "NO!".

The brunette backed away, hitting her sides on the desk. "Why not?" She asked. The redhead shook her head furiously. "We don't even know who the person is! What if it's a stalker just pretending to be a Karasuno student? Worst case scenario, a kidnapper! We have to be careful, you know! Let's wait until he actually tells us his name. Or we can just go to the Karasuno gymnasium after class again… no, wait." Hirari cringed at the thought of going back to that place only to get embarrassed again. She was traumatized for life.

"Wow, you actually suggested that we go there. Meeting Kageyama Tobio really improved you, huh?" Mashumaro teased, laughing at the reddened face of her companion. "W-We're okay now! And he even asked for my num—" The ginger covered her mouth, but it was too late. "Oh, it seems the Karasuno setter misunderstood me. But that's okay! So that means he also gave you his, huh?" Mashumaro theorized. Hirari's face creased, pondering about when the other became so good at guessing. She placed her hand on her chin and looked up. "Well, yeah, so obviously… the one who texted me wasn't Kageyama."

* * *

"Suga!" Asahi called out to Sugawara, ready to spike. The 3rd year setter tossed higher than usual, just as the ace would have wanted. As he jumped up, so did the blockers from the other side of the net – Tsukishima, Kageyama, and Tanaka. Kageyama glanced at Tsukishima, still bothered about their conversation from last night.

" _Hey, King." An annoying voice stopped Kageyama in his tracks. Just hearing that certain voice saying that despicable nickname was enough to piss him off. He turned his head, greeting Tsukishima with a frown. "What do you want?" He hissed. Tsukishima had the usual annoying smirk on his face. "Now, now. I haven't even said anything yet, King." He waved his hand and had a really fake smile which wasn't helping Kageyama's mood at all. "I just wanted to ask if you have the number of the girl you hit on the face with your King's toss."_

 _Kageyama's deadly expression switched into an astonished one. "Why do you need her number?" He asked. Tsukishima felt annoyed by the fact that Kageyama sounded like he demanded answers. The tension between them grew. Tsukishima walked toward Kageyama taking out something from his pocket. "If I'm correct, this phone belongs to her companion. So if the King wants to help his new friend, I or servant, it would be wise if you give me at least her name or number." Tsukishima sarcastically said, provoking Kageyama more. The raven-haired boy balled up his hand into a fist. "Not that I care if you want to compensate for hitting her on the head with—"_

" _I get it already! Tch!"_

Unfortunately for them, Asahi's spike was filled with power and they failed to block it. "Yes!" Nishinoya rejoiced. As soon as they reached the floor, Yamaguchi ran to Tsukishima, who was already heading for the bench to get water. "Tsuki!" The freckled boy called out. "Hey, I heard you and Kageyama talking last night. But… you're not sure about who really owns it, right?" He asked the blonde, who grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler. "I am not an expert in memorizing the faces of people I rarely see." Tsukishima reservedly answered. "There were only three people who ran out of the gym yesterday before practice ended. I'm only basing this on the information I have on-hand." He followed, drinking from the bottle of water. Yamaguchi looked down at his feet. "Why are you concerned about who owns it, anyway?" Tsukishima finished up the bottle of water and tossed it to the trash can before answering. "I don't want to be labeled a thief."

"OH! ISHIKAWA! KAJI!" Hinata's loud voice caught everyone's attention. Upon hearing the names, Tsukishima glanced at the door. "W-Wait, Hinata, well, we…" Hirari grabbed Mashumaro's hand. They vowed to just take a peek inside without attracting anyone to their presence, but thanks to Hinata, the plan was ruined. Their stomachs were in knots as everyone looked at the door again. Hirari looked around and hid her face with her bangs when she saw Kageyama staring at her. " _H-He must be thinking I'm following him around! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead."_ Her lips were quivering and her grip on Mashumaro's hand tightened. "Your prince is staring at you." The other girl pointed out.

"You came to watch us practice again? Did you? Did you?" Hinata jumped around in excitement. "Um, well, actually we…" Hirari's eyes darted to Mashumaro who was still staring at the ground with a pale face. "Yes. We came to watch you practice. We're not going to tell Oikawa so, yeah." It was one of the few times when Mashumaro had to lie to save both her and Hirari from further pride-damaging events. "With two more girls here, Kiyoko-san will finally laugh more!" Nishinoya and Tanaka jumped toward them, only to be dragged back to the court by Daichi. "Don't scare them!" Sugawara scolded.

Tsukishima watched from afar, not noticing how Yamaguchi was looking at him in wonder. With a slight shrug of the shoulders, the blonde went on to his position on court. "Wait, Tsuki! Aren't you going to ask them?" Yamaguchi questioned the blonde's actions. "If it's theirs, they'll be the ones asking." The taller boy simply answered as he moved to the other side of the gym.

When everyone finally left them to their freedom, Hirari subtly took out her phone. "That's it! I'm calling your phone! This will prove the messages earlier!" She then dialed Mashumaro's number. "G-good plan!" Mashumaro was unbelievably nervous. Her palms were sweaty and her heartbeat went crazy as soon she heard the ring.

Strangely enough, she heard her ringtone when a certain blonde passed by.

She looked up to see where the ringtone was coming from. Hirari heard it the second ring and looked up as well. "Isn't that your ringtone?" She asked the brunette. Mashumaro couldn't answer because the only person she saw in front of them was none other than Tsukishima Kei. She started in horror a Tsukishima stopped walking and dug his and into his pocket and brought out a certain phone.

Her heart stopped when he turned his head to face her and brought to phone to his ear.

Hirari's eyes widened when the call was answered and she heard a breathy "hello". She looked up and shook Mashumaro's shoulder. "Oh, look, Maro-chan! Your phone's in good hands!" The redhead said out loud, not realizing that Tsukishima could perfectly hear them through the phone and from afar. "Hello!" She greeted Tsukishima with a wave. Tsukishima nodded as a reply to Hirari's wave. "Excuse me, but I think your friend ran away." He told her through the phone.

"Eh?" Hirari said, turning to where Mashumaro supposedly was positioned but she disappeared.

* * *

She didn't care whether she would get lost in Karasuno or if it was already dark out, she just ran. Luckily, she found the girl's bathroom and hurriedly ran inside a cubicle and locking it. She sat on the covered toilet and had her hands to her face. "THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO KILL MYSELF! GOODBYE WORLD! GOODBYE REPUTATION! GOODBYE KAJI MASHUMARO!" She yelled, not knowing that there are also other students inside the restroom. They stared at the cubicle in a mix of emotions. "S-Should we call the teachers?" One girl asked the other. "Did she just say 'goodbye marshmallow'?" Another asked.

"Get your thoughts together; get your thoughts together… ARGH! WHY DID I RUN? HE'LL THINK I'M GUILTY! I SHOULDN'T HAVE RUN! Wait, okay. I-I don't need to explain it to him! We don't even know each other! Hahaha!" Mashumaro started laughing, scaring out the other female students. When she finally regained her composure, she let out a loud sigh and went out of the restroom. "I hope I don't bump into that guy again… did this happen to me because I kept on teasing Hirari about Kageyama Tobio? Ugh…" She lazily walked, not caring whether the other students were staring at her for a number of reasons. One of those reasons was because she had a different uniform on.

"Hey, Marshmallow!" At the sound of Hirari's voice, Mashumaro felt like fainting. "Hey! Why'd you run off like that? You just left me there!" The redhead complained, panting heavily. "I-I went to the toilet." Mashumaro looked down at her feet. She hated the fact that she sounded like she was lying although she really did go to the restroom. "Oh, I see… and by the way!" Hirari took out something from her bag and showed it to Mashumaro. The latter looked up and felt her blood drain out of her face. "I got your phone back! Pff- Nice wallpaper!"

Snatching her phone from Hirari, Mashumaro ran off again. That's the end of her reputation. That's the end of her world. That's what she thought. She ran without looking back, not thinking about where she would end up in. When her adrenaline finally went back to normal, she stopped to catch her breath. "This… is… the… worst… day… of… my… life…" She said in between gasps. She straightened her body and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "If I knew this would happen, I would have just asked Hirari to draw another one." She grumbled, walking tiredly outside the school. "I'm going home." She then went outside the gate and to the dark streets.

The night in Miyagi was peaceful. She passed by a certain shop, but didn't bother to look inside and rest. She was already swaying side-to-side, her body pleading for rest. As she walked, she looked up at the moon. "Hmm… you write the kanji 'tsuki' for the moon, huh…?" She mumbled. She got distracted when her phone started vibrating on her hand. Slightly annoyed, she opened it, not checking the name of the caller.

"Hello?"

" _Hello."_

Her heart raced rapidly. Did the voice come from behind her or from the phone? With wide eyes and trembling lips, she slowly turned her head to check behind her. "W-Who's this?" She asked as her eyes widened even more.

" _Someone you wouldn't want to meet unless you'd like to turn around."_


	7. Chapter 7 A Rough Start

"Water! Get water!"

"Again?"

"Kageyama! You hit her on the face again!"

"H-Ha? I didn't! It was you who spiked it towards her!"

"Nishinoya! Why didn't you receive the spike?"

"E-Eh? Was I supposed to?"

Yachi was fanning an unconscious Hirari with a towel while Shimizu was wiping the blood off her nose with a tissue. It was then when she finally regained her senses that the chaos stopped. She sat up and looked up, immediately being face-to-face with Kageyama's "cheerful smile". Everyone backed away and Hirari's face went blank. "T-There's a crescent moon on Kageyama's fa—Gah!" Before Hinata could finish Kageyama's hand was already gripping his head, making the shorter boy struggle with pain. "I wonder if Hirari's nose is already broken…" Asahi barely scratched his cheek with his index finger. "She's a ball magnet." Sugawara chuckled.

Everyone backed away again, this time in shock. Kageyama outstretched his hand, although he was shaking. It was pretty obvious that he was not used to what he's doing. "Can you walk?" He asked. "Ah, well, ye—EEK!" Hirari freaked when Kageyama grabbed her wrist before pulling her up roughly. "K-Kageyama! What in the world are you doing? That's a girl, dammit!" Tanaka yelled, his knees bent on opposite sides, as he pointed at Kageyama accusingly. "Doesn't know how to treat a gi—NGH!" Hinata once again was grabbed on the head.

Kageyama gritted his teeth, not noticing that Hirari's hand was already pale because of his tight grip. "Kageyama, gently! Gently!" Sugawara went near to calm him down. "Sorry." The raven-haired boy loosened his grip _at long last_ , relieving Hirari of the numbness that was starting to develop on her hand. "I'm sorry for always causing trouble." A gloomy aura surrounded Hirari who had her eyes closed and head down. "Don't worry about it, Seijo girl! It's not your fault you get hit by a ball all the—ow!" Nishinoya's head got shoved down by the captain before he could point out a sensitive issue. "Actually, I came back because I thought Maro-chan came running back here…" Hirari looked around for her friend but there was no sign of her.

"Actually, practice just ended, Ishikawa. As you can see there are only a few of us left here, cleaning up the gym. Well, except for the two people who randomly decided to practice more." Daichi stole a glance at Kageyama and Hinata, making both freshmen look away. Hirari sighed. "I see." Kageyama looked at her and tilted his head to see her expression, since her head was down and he was too tall to see it clearly.

On the other hand, Tsukishima had already finished changing and was already walking towards the gate. Yamaguchi was just beside him, fidgeting. "Um…" The shorter boy looked up at the blonde in an attempt to say something. "What?" Tsukishima asked impatiently. "Well, I'm going to Shimada-san's place today to practice serving, so…" Yamaguchi bit his lip. "Alright." Tsukishima answered without letting him finish. "You go on ahead, Tsuki. I'll go back to the gym in a sec." The freckled boy said before running off. Tsukishima watched him disappear before continuing on his walk home.

Little did he know that since he was _waaay_ taller than a certain girl and had _waaay_ longer strides as he walked, he was able to catch up to her. From afar, he swore he could see someone drunk. Or so he thought. The girl was swaying from side to side as she walked past Ukai's shop. He continued walking until he was able to see clearly who the girl was under the streetlight. He contemplated whether he would slow down his pace to save himself from an over-reaction when she sees him or if he could just continue walking past her and see her run off again and get lost in the streets. It was none of his business, really.

But Tsukishima had bad habits of his own.

Smirking, he took his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number he had saved when he had the chance. It was for emergency purposes, anyway. He watched as the girl looked at her phone screen without actually reading who the caller was. " _What an unaware person."_ He thought.

" _Hello?"_

Her voice sounded different on the phone, a bit smaller but still relaxing.

"Hello."

She froze in his tracks and Tsukishima did the same. He wondered how pissed this girl would be if she sees the one person she doesn't want to cross paths with. He knew that was the case. After all, she might probably know by now that he saw what she obviously was trying to hide from everyone. That would be enough to piss someone off, right?

" _W-Who's this?"_ She slowly turned her head to face him.

He held his chuckle, almost gasping. "Someone you wouldn't want to meet unless you'd like to turn around."

And there she was. Upon seeing him, her mouth hung agape and he saw how she loosened her grip on her phone until it was dropped to the ground. The night was quiet. The streetlights were bright. The only sound that could be heard was the cellphone dropping to the ground. "H-How did you…" She could barely raise her finger up. Her voice was shaky. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow as she started looking around in panic, even up at the sky. "W-W-Wha- The moon! The moon!" She stuttered, flailing her arms around, and trying to change the subject. _"I haven't even started any subject yet."_

His smug look was back as he started walking near her. She was rooted to the spot in shock, sweating heavily and trembling as if she came face to face with a serial killer. That was her exact reaction. "You know." Tsukishima said as he bent down to pick up her phone. "That reaction has 'I don't want to give my thanks to the person who returned my phone' written all over it. How rude." Sarcasm dripped in his every word as he used his left hand to raise her right hand and placed the phone on it with his right hand.

To Tsukishima, that contact probably meant nothing. Or so he thought. He had no ill intention when he did that, he just knew that he was doing all this stuff to piss her off, which isn't taking effect at all. She was completely out of the world at this time. He would be lying, though, if he said he didn't notice how her fingers flinched when he barely reached it. His hands were bigger than hers. After all, they had a 33cm height gap. The size difference of their hands was pretty obvious. Her hands were cold, probably because she was nervous.

To Mashumaro, she really _was_ nervous and whatever Tsukishima was thinking was probably correct. That contact put her thoughts in disarray. She was completely stunned. It's not because she liked the guy. She didn't even know him. It was because she wasn't expecting the meeting. It wasn't a part of their stalking schemes. Times like these she wished she couldn't read the atmosphere like always. The problem is, the atmosphere is too obvious to ignore this time.

"I'M SORRY! DON'T KILL ME!" She suddenly jumped back and cried. "Eh?" Tsukishima wasn't expecting that reaction. Did he fail in trying to make her mad?

She gripped her phone tightly and pointed it at Tsukishima. "W-wah, don't come any closer! Weird guy! Weird guy!" If she had cat ears, they would be twitching right now. Tsukishima squinted and smirked. "Pointing your phone at a criminal will only make it easier for them to snatch the phone, yes?" He continued on razzing her. This time, a deep blush made its way to her whole face and neck. She put the phone back in her pocket and a felt a vein throbbing at the back of her head. "Maybe you're just too embarrassed to ask me about _what_ you saw in my phone, huh?"

Tsukishima was taken aback when she teased back. He was well aware of her phone's home screen but he didn't think she'd actually use her very embarrassment to embarrass him back. He got pissed at her bravery, even though she was obviously still humiliated by it. "The only reason why I had to return your phone was because I happened to be the first one to go to the club room and happened to find it on the ground due to _someone's_ irresponsibility and since I already had a hunch on who that _someone_ was, decided to return it before I get called a thief." He explained, successfully pissing Mashumaro off. "Also… your embarrassment has nothing to do with me. It's pretty obvious you weren't the one who drew that. Not with those stiff, tiny hands of yours."

Tsukishima started walking, thinking about going home as quickly as he can. He had wasted too much time. "…HEY!" He stopped when he heard the sort-of angry yell, a bit surprised that she still had the wits to talk to him. He turned around and looked at her. Her face was red – either out of shame or anger. "What?" He asked, his voice a bit lower than it usually is. She breathed in deeply before saying something.

"If you're that smart, then explain why cats are scared of cucumbers!" Tsukishima never actually knew about Mashumaro's rare talent of ruining the moment.

* * *

Kageyama walked ahead of her, feeling chills on his back. That was because Hirari was silently staring at him from behind. Since she had nothing to do anyway, she thought it would be nice to help the Karasuno volleyball club carry the materials back to the clubroom and storage, feeling slightly guilty for not even bothering to visit their own school's team. "Kageyama?" She asked, her voice nice and soft. He let out a deep and quiet "Hmm?". Hirari could hear his tone clearly, since it was already a silent night. She didn't know him well, and wasn't aware that a calm and quiet Kageyama was rare. "Why do you like volleyball?"

A long silent pause ensued. He looked behind him to catch her eyes. "Do we need reasons to like something?" He asked. Hirari laughed at his answer, not expecting that there would be a second one. "You see, I like you."

Hirari almost dropped the balls she was holding. Her eyes were wide in surprise. "Kageyama… don't just say that to a girl easily." She lectured him, wishing it wasn't serious. However, the boy had no idea why she said that. He wasn't really good in liking something with a passion except for volleyball. "Is liking someone for being a person bad?" He asked innocently. Hirari smiled regretfully. "I guess not."

The boy decided not to argue anymore. It wasn't really in his character to socialize with people, a girl in this case, for too long. "I don't know what I like and what I don't like." Hirari murmured. Hearing her words, Kageyama tightened his hold on the supplies. When they reached the club room, they settled the things down. Hirari looked really worn out. Kageyama sheepishly returned his grip on the supplies again, thinking of excuses just in case she asks why he did. He had no idea how to comfort a girl. He didn't know what to do or what to say. Plus, they were alone. Lady luck frowned upon him today. _"Hinata, where are you?"_

"T-That's okay!" He loudly said, startling the girl. He straightened his posture and looked hard at her, only to end up creeping her out. "A-Ah, yes?" Hirari sweat-dropped, wondering what has gotten into his companion. "That's okay, right? I-I like you, anyway! So, uhh…" Kageyama looked around, a bit nervous if he's doing it right. The only thing he succeeded in doing was putting a blush on the girl's face. _"He doesn't know what he's doing!"_ She thought.

All of the sudden, he recalled Tanaka telling him and Hinata this one time that when a girl is feeling sad, she needs a hug. His face brightened up and then he pulled Hirari's head to his chest rather awkwardly and patted it. Roughly.

Kageyama is not the high school heart throb in shoujo manga. He was far from those guys. He can't pat a girl's head gently; he can't even comfort her well. "So, are you okay now?" He asked in his usual angry tone, although he's not really angry. All he heard were muffled noises. Hirari was already violently shaking her arms, but Kageyama was slow to notice it. When he finally let go of her, the first thing she did was gasp. "I couldn't breathe! What were you doing?"

That was the clumsiest hug she had ever experienced.

* * *

After a long stare, he finally spoke up.

"My name is Tsukishima Kei."

"But that wasn't what I ask— never mind… mine's Kaji Mashumaro."

And she couldn't believe her eyes when he went near her and placed his hand on her head. "Yeah." He said, removing his hand again and walking away. "I know."


	8. Chapter 8 How To Deal With Women

"Alright, let's get to work!" Ukai exclaimed. The players lined up in front of their coach and replied with the usual "Yes, sir!".

It was a Saturday, which meant more time for them to practice. With a few receives here and there, and a few jumps to improve blocking, the team was stable enough to start a game. As usual, Asahi's spikes were hard to block, Tsukishima and Kageyama were still arguing after every block, Hinata was fired up and kept shouting for a toss, Tanaka and Nishinoya rejoice after each point, and so on. It wasn't a cold day nor was it hot. The weather seemed nice for them today.

The others went to take a break on the sidelines, replenishing their fluids and resting their bodies. "Alright! I hope Ukai-san lets us do our quick attack today!" Hinata excitedly hoped, wiping a towel to his face. Due to the lack of response, the boy looked up and saw Kageyama staring at somewhere far. Following his gaze, he got curious as to why the setter was staring, or maybe even glaring, at Tsukishima across the court. Hinata looked back and forth from Kageyama to Tsukishima. "What's up? Did he say something mean to you again?" He asked. Kageyama's scowl grew even more obvious. "That beanpole was acting weird the other day." The raven-haired replied, disgusted. "H-Hey, your face is scary! Doesn't he act weird all the time?" Hinata took a step backward from Kageyama out of instinct and shielded his own head. Kageyama's face went back to normal and he put a hand on Hinata's shoulder and leaned down to whisper.

"He asked for Ishikawa's name and number the other night." Kageyama told Hinata, the latter reacting by surprise. "Eh?! That's pretty weird!" Hinata blurted out, accidentally catching the attention of Asahi and Daichi was just nearby. Kageyama aggressively covered Hinata's mouth with his hand; almost smacking the latter's face with the force. "That's what I said, you dumbass!" He yelled at him, and before Daichi could come closer to scold them, he whispered again. "And you're too loud."

"HEY! KAGEYAMA! HEY!" Their conversation was interrupted by Nishinoya and Tanaka. Their greeting sounded pretty normal to everyone, but the thing that made the oddball duo nervous was that they had creepy smiles on their faces. "We've been meaning to ask about this, but didn't want to cause you trouble." Nishinoya spoke first. Kageyama swallowed his saliva, silently praying that it wasn't _that_ they were talking about. Meanwhile, Hinata was confused again. Both Tanaka and Nishinoya pointed at Kageyama in a hostile way.

"We saw you suffocating Ishikawa the other night!"

Their voices were loud enough for almost everyone to hear. Kageyama turned a deep shade of red and gritted his teeth. "Y-You were trying to kill Ishikawa? Kageyama, I knew you were violent, but not that violent!" Hinata was always easily-impressed, but also easily-fooled. The others who heard ended up eavesdropping on the entire conversation to satisfy their curiosity. "I-I wasn't, you dumbass! That was meant to be a hug to—" Realizing what he had just said, Kageyama pursed his lips. The statement only made things worse. With sparkling eyes, Nishinoya and Tanaka leaned closer to Kageyama. "YOU HUGGED A GIRL!? NICE!" They showed him a thumbs-up. "It must be nice being a King. You can do whatever you want." Tsukishima passed by them with a smirk. Yamaguchi laughed in agreement. Kageyama's pissed-off look was back on his face. "You're one to talk! You threatened me into telling you Hirari's phone number and name!" He yelled at Tsukishima. "TSUKISHIMA DID WHAT?" This time, Daichi joined in, more shocked at Tsukishima's action than Kageyama's. Unfazed, Tsukishima continued walking. "The reason I did that was merely because I didn't want them to find out I have her friend's phone before I find out who the owner was and get accused for theft. Unlike you who suffocate-hugs girls the second time you meet them." He calmly replied. "I'll suffocate you when I get the chance!" The setter argued. "Yes, yes!" Hinata agreed with Kageyama. "KAGEYAMA! SPILL THE BEANS, DAMMIT!" Tanaka was getting hyped due to the revelations they had discovered today. Kageyama looked around him and then looked down with a twitching eyebrow and angry eyes. He was saying something, but no one could hear, even Hinata. "Ha? Again?" Hinata leaned closer with his hand on his ear. The only words he heard were "like" and "dislike". Hinata's gaze came in contact with Tanaka. The latter shrugged his shoulders. "Again?" Hinata insisted.

"WHY DO I END UP MAKING THE THINGS I 'LIKE' DISLIKE ME, DAMMIT!" Kageyama ended up yelling, catching more and more attention. "C-Calm down, Kageyama." Sugawara took notice of the commotion going on and decided to interfere. "Don't tell me you actually like something other than volleyball?" Hinata asked, unbelieving. "O-of course I do! I like animals! It's _them_ that don't like _me_!" The poor raven-head seemed frustrated and let out an annoyed 'tsk'. "Anyone would be scared of a King looking down on them." Tsukishima said from afar. "Shut up!" Kageyama had a mix of emotions, his head about to explode. "Besides… good job comparing Ishikawa to animals." Tsukishima added, triggering Kageyama's intimidating aura. Sugawara thought for a while, wondering what they could do to help Kageyama with his problem somehow. "You know… I've been thinking… maybe we should teach Kageyama to socialize somehow? Especially with girls and, um, animals?" He suggested. Everyone had agreeing faces on except for Kageyama who didn't get what he was trying to say. "Is there something wrong with the way I talk?"

During the chaos, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were silently minding their own business on the bench. "Ah, Tsuki! Does your phone have internet connection? I left mine at home, so…" Yamaguchi broke the silence, shyly asking. Tsukishima took his phone out of his bag and pressed some buttons on the keypad. "Here." He handed it to Yamaguchi and proceeded to drink his canned drink. "Thanks, Tsuki!" The freckled boy seemed happy. He opened the browser, ignorant about what he was about to see. Tsukishima stood up, eyeing the trash can just beside the gymnasium door. As he walked away from the bench, Yamaguchi started mumbling something about his phone's browser and search results, causing the blonde to stop for a while. "What was that?" The blonde asked. "Um, well…" Yamaguchi had no idea whether he should even ask about it or just leave the issue. He was about to drop it but Tsukishima was getting annoyed waiting for a response.

"Why are you researching about cats and cucumbers?"

* * *

"Hirari?" She asked once more, wondering why her friend wasn't replying. She obviously didn't know about the mental issues her friend was going through ever since the conversation and the clumsy "hug" with Kageyama Tobio. Hirari still had her head down on the desk, refusing to look up. "Hirari?" This time, she shook her friend's arm. Hirari faced her emptily, surprising her. "Are you still alive?" Mashumaro asked, although she wasn't really concerned. She was used to Hirari's reactions. "I'm dead." Hirari finally answered with a ghastly tone. "We're both dead. I'm taking you with me." She added, scaring Mashumaro for a bit. "W-Why me? What'd I do?" The other asked. The redhead has been acting dead since the time they got separated in Karasuno because of a missing phone. "Marshmallow… let's not return to Karasuno forever."

Mashumaro remembered the night she met the supposedly 'person who returned her phone'. She shook her head, not wanting to remember the very day her whole pride was shattered. "Yeah." She said. "I agree."

All of the sudden, Hirari sat up with wide eyes, almost making Mashumaro fall from her chair. "That's him! That's the Oikawa person! What is he doing here in the freshman corridor?" Hirari pointed outside, followed by the ear-piercing screams of the girls outside the room. Upon hearing Oikawa's name, both girls quickly ran outside, not caring whether they'd get eaten up by the fangirls for what they were about to do. They ran towards the direction of the louder screams, their fierce aura overwhelming all those who stood in their way. "Target sighted!" Hirari's eyes were much clearer than Mashumaro's, leading her to recognize the culprit's features. "Roger!" The other girl said, before they both screamed.

"OIKAWAAAA!"

Their scream was a lot different than the other girls' screams. Theirs were more deadly, blaming, and angry. At the sound of their voices, sweat dripped from Oikawa's head. "Oh… crap." He muttered. When he turned around, he came face to face with two fuming girls. "You have no idea what you just made us do! Our whole lives are ruined because of you!" Hirari sounded like she was growling. The other girls glared at the two, whispering to each other about how lowly they are to talk to Oikawa just like that. "I see your fans have no idea that you personally talked to us to _help_ you out." Mashumaro made her voice loud and clear before she waved at the girls, pissing them off even further. "W-Wait, girls! I wasn't serious about that! Why would I want to defeat Tobio-chan in anything other than volleyball? I didn't know you would take that seriously!" Oikawa tried defending himself, worried that the other girls might start questioning the events.

Hirari and Mashumaro looked at each other. "Confirmed, huh?" Mashumaro asked. "Yep. Confirmed. He only followed us that day because he was curious as to why we didn't know him. Then tried to bait us into being his fangirls by giving us the usb filled with Karasuno pictures." Hirari summarized. The other girls were already whispering, much to Oikawa's dread. "Oh, well. We tried." Mashumaro shrugged and they turned to leave just like that.

Oikawa stared at them, horrified. "I-I didn't know they took everything seriously."

Just when he thought everything was over, Mashumaro started singing loudly, her voice echoing in the hallways. " _OIKAWA THE STALKER AND KAGEYAMA THE DELIVERY BOY~_ "

* * *

Kageyama looked behind him and saw his teammates cheering for him as quietly as they can. "Go for it, Kag—" Hinata's mouth was covered by Daichi before he could ruin the plan. Kageyama looked down at the cat in front of him. The feline was swaying its tail against the ground and let out a soft 'meow'. Kageyama's lips were quivering, wondering how the cat would react. He slowly bent down, trying his best to keep a calm look on his face. If he scowls, this opportunity would be over in an instant. He was extremely stiff, as he swiftly extended his hand to the cat's face. The creature jumped back in alarm. "Kageyama!" Sugawara called. "Gently!" At the advice, Kageyama tried again. This was actually the fifteenth time he tried taming the same cat.

This time, he kneeled. He slowly extended his hand, flinching whenever the cat flinches. It was an entertaining sight for the Karasuno team. He almost gasped when the cat walked toward him and started sniffing the food on Kageyama's hand. This was the first time a cat approached him on its own will. He watched as the cat bit the food gently and set it on the ground so it could eat the fish properly. Kageyama watched, awe-struck.

Meanwhile, Tsukishima started walking to the side, causing the others to look at him. "Tsuki, where are you going?" Yamaguchi asked. "Stay there. I'm going to try something." The blonde answered without explaining, immediately giving them a bad feeling.

Kageyama was still watching the cat with 'excited' eyes. Although he still had his normal face, his body was shaking. He was distracted, though, when he saw Tsukishima walking toward them. The blonde placed something behind the cat stealthily so the feline wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, Kageyama got pissed upon seeing Tsukishima's face. "Oi! What do you—" The first word was enough to make the cat jump in shock, landing on the thing Tsukishima put behind it. When the cat saw where it landed, it jumped again while yowling, hitting Tsuki on the chest and accidentally scratching his neck, then attaching itself to Kageyama's head. "GAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Kageyama shouted, running around in circles. He couldn't see with the cat covering his whole face. Tsukishima clutched his neck with a pained expression.

The others started panicking. "W-What did you guys do to the poor cat?" Ennoshita was the first to scold. "H-Help Kageyama! Hurry!" Daichi commanded. Yachi was freaking out on the sidelines. Nishinoya and Tanaka accidentally bumped their heads when they stood up and moved simultaneously. Asahi was too horrified to do anything. Hinata was flailing his arms and jumping around in distress.

Meanwhile, Yamaguchi helped Tsukishima get up. "Hey… Why'd you put the cucumber behind the cat?" He asked the blonde. Tsukishima did not answer.

At the same time, everyone else successfully pulled the cat from Kageyama's face, leaving his cheeks with scratches. They all braced themselves for the outburst that was about to happen.

"… YOU HAVE TO BE GENTLE TO A CAT OR GIRL SO YOU WON'T SCARE THEM!" The outburst _did_ happen but Kageyama's statement was not what they were expecting. On the other hand, Tsukishima seemed to be thinking about something and simply said "She was right.", not noticing that Yamaguchi was freaking out at his weird behavior. Both boys marched away with satisfied expressions, as if nothing happened.

Realizing that each of them both was acting strange and they were walking on the same direction, they stopped to glare at each other.

"Congratulations, King." Tsukishima sarcastically said, touching the scratch on his neck.

"Same to you, beanpole." Kageyama pointed at the multiple scratches on his face.

The rest of the team stared at them, perplexed. "… Um… why are they using cats as their basis on girls?" Yachi managed to ask.


	9. Chapter 9 Cinnamon

"If, by chance, you and Kageyama really did end up together, what would you call him?" A random question was asked as they walked to the train station. Summer vacation was finally here and they decided to go somewhere for a little fun. Of course, they have always secluded themselves from society, so it's just the two of them yet again.

The redhead flinched and shrilled when she heard the question. "Are you crazy!?" She asked back. "I said 'if'." Mashumaro grinned. Hirari eyed her friend suspiciously, clutching her bag tightly. Mashumaro sighed "If you answer, I'll treat you to ice cream."

As soon as the redhead heard that, her eyes beamed with delight. "Well, I'd call him 'son'." She answered. Mashumaro raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Make up your mind! Is he your son or boyfriend? It's just a what-if." Hirari tried hard not to look into Mashumaro's eyes. "He's awkward. I mean, you know, an awkward… _boy_." She reasoned out. They waited for the train, thinking about what stuff to do when they get to the place. "But if that thing really happens, well… 'Tobio' is just fine. I-It's just a what-if! I'm doing this for the ice cream! Don't get me wrong!" The redhead defended.

"Anyway, my turn! What do you think of Tsukishima Kei?" Hirari asked, turning the tables. Mashumaro looked away, flustered. She will never forget the devil. "He's mean." She said, her voice barely audible. Hirari giggled. "Oh, Marshy. So in other words, if Kageyama is a _cinnamon_ roll, then Tsukishima is a _sinnamon_ roll, right? Since a _cinnamon_ roll is too sweet, awkward, and too pure for this world." Hirari said with a rather happy face.

Mashumaro wondered how cinnamon rolls became "awkward".

* * *

"Don't you think cinnamon rolls are awkward?"

Everyone looked at Kageyama. They were invited to an event in another place and were now eating breakfast. In between his mouthfuls of food, Kageyama randomly decided to say something weird while munching on a cinnamon roll. "I don't know if that's how wide his vocabulary is or he just wants to compare himself to a harmless cinnamon roll." Tsukishima commented, although he did not directly talk to Kageyama. "Say that again!" Kageyama angrily dared. He winced at the pain on his face, remembering the healing scratches on it. "How is it awkward, Kageyama?" Sugawara asked, in favor of stopping the two before they clash again. Kageyama took a large bite out of the pastry, and answered in a muffled voice. "Cinnamon is a spice yet it is used for baking."

Nishinoya stood up. "Hey! Quit talking and eat more! Bread is not enough!" He scolded. "Wow, Kageyama. You actually thought about something other than volleyball? Amazing!" Hinata wasn't sarcastic. He was actually really impressed. It did not amuse Kageyama at all.

Ukai was on another table with Takeda, discussing about the event for tonight. "So Nekoma has an alumni homecoming party for the graduates from the volleyball club and their geezer of a coach decided to invite us over so we could meet them. I'm a bit riled up! I might finally get to see my opponents while I was in high school." Ukai declared, imagining how the reunion would end up. "It's pretty obvious, judging from the look on your face. Ah, I mean, you seem pretty excited! Sorry!" Takeda apologized after realizing the informality of his statement. "It seems kinda strange, though. Athletes who usually wear shirts and uniforms are now required to wear something formal for the event." The teacher wondered. Ukai nodded in agreement. "Well, it's a chance to prove that these boys are capable of fixing themselves up."

* * *

When they got off the train, Hirari accidentally let go of Mashumaro's hand, the crowd separating them. "Ah! Maro-chan?" She looked around in hopes of finding her friend, but there were so many people getting off the train, she couldn't see her anywhere she looked. She was also struggling to keep her feet on the ground. If she falls, a stampede might be the cause of her death. "This city sure is a busy place." She sighed, trying to reach a spot where there are fewer people. "I wonder if she still recalls the way to Nekoma?" She checked the time. It was already lunchtime. She thought of sending a text message to Mashumaro before she goes her own way. "We're going to be late at this rate. Geez, Dad. Why'd you have to ask me to go to my brother's school event? Ugh, that brother of mine, if only he didn't cause trouble every time, I swear I…" She complained as she walked.

* * *

"Alright! Let's show them how handsome Karasuno boys are!" Nishinoya pumped his fist up the ceiling. "That'll show those 'city boys'!" Tanaka followed, although the way he pronounced city made Tsukishima laugh. "Shitty boys." The blonde repeated, emphasizing the wrong pronunciation while sniggering. The boys buttoned up their polos. It was a rather easy task. Thank whoever made their school uniforms for teaching them how to at least button a shirt. "Hey! Hurry up! You guys are fast when practicing for volleyball, but are slow as turtles when fixing yourselves up like men." They looked at whoever was at the door and saw their coach. Ukai's hair was neatly combed and he put temporary hair dye on it to make it brown. His signature headband was no longer there. Instead, a few wispy bangs fell across his face while the rest are held back by a medium amount of hair mousse. He was wearing the traditional suit and red tie. "WOAH!" They all gasped. "C-Coach? Is that really you?" Hinata was the first to come closer, examining every inch of Ukai's outfit. "Of course it's me! Don't I look the same all the time?" Ukai bellowed at Hinata.

Meanwhile, Kageyama was staring hard at the piece of fabric in his hand. His eyes were twitching in annoyance. "Oh? Don't you know how to tie a necktie?" His concentration was interrupted by Tsukishima. When Kageyama turned around, he saw Tsukishima all ready. His blonde curly, unruly hair became even blonder because of his jet black blazer. Underneath the blazer was a cream-colored vest over his white long-sleeved polo. His tie was a deep purple, complementing his yellow hair and vest. To top it all off, he was a tall person. Kageyama cringed. "You actually look like a good person, it pisses me off." He growled. He looked at his necktie again, clumsily tying it even though he obviously did not know how. He ended up tying like he ties his shoelaces. It didn't take long for Nishinoya and Tanaka to notice.

The pair laughed and drove themselves to tears. "HAHAHA! WHAT SORT OF JOKE IS THAT, KAGEYAMA?" Everyone looked at Kageyama who was blushing, pissed at everyone and everything around him once again. He took off his tie and shoved it down his pocket, giving up on it completely. He slung his tux over his shoulder as he decided to leave the room with Hinata trailing from behind and still laughing. They made their way to the door to open it and breathed in the fresh air from outside. They did not have enough budgets to rent a van, so their usual bus was there in front of the place they were staying at. "I wonder if we can play volleyball wearing these." Hinata put his hand on is bowtie, careful not to ruin it, since Yachi worked hard fixing it for him. "Of course not. These leather shoes are killing me." Kageyama said, shrugging his shoulders.

After a long while, everyone was done. "Kiyoko-san!" Tanaka was googly-eyes when he saw Shimizu wearing a red cocktail dress. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, a few strands falling on her shoulders. Yachi's hair was let down and curled at the ends. She was wearing a peach long-sleeved lace dress and had black stockings for a vintage look. Everyone stared in awe at the girls. They all went to their seats in the bus, knowing who they were going to sit with, as usual. Hinata looked out the window, enjoying the city lights as the sun set. It didn't take long for them to finally reach the hotel reserved for the event. "Wow!" Hinata ran out the bus and explored every nook and corner, drooling over the food and the chandeliers hanging from above. "Hinata!" A familiar voice tried catching his attention. He was greeted by Lev and Kenma, who had been there for long. Kuroo tapped Tsukishima's shoulder and flashed his signature grin. For once, Kuro's hair was more organized than his everyday bedhead. Kenma's hair was tied into a low half-ponytail. Lev looked really neat with his coat, and Hinata got jealous of the fact that formal outfits always looked better on taller guys. Meanwhile, Ukai met up with his old rivals, and the adults were still pestering each other playfully.

They all sat on their tables after getting food from the long table and it was then when the lights went off. "We all would like to thank everyone for coming to the Nekoma High School Alumni Homecoming. Please stay in your seats as we go on to the precious memories of Nekoma High School with a short presentation." The emcee announced. A while after, a video was projected on the big screen and pictures of the old and new Nekoma High could be seen on-screen. There were also pictures of the volleyball team; most of them are versus Karasuno. It made everyone watch in anticipation as a few video clips of the best plays were compiled. After the video, the lights went back on. People were still talking about the presentation gleefully, even the Karasuno students.

Kageyama stood up and went to grab a cinnamon roll on the table. He reached for one at the same time a girl did, their hands accidentally brushing. "Sorry." They both mumbled. Time froze when they recognized the voice, causing them to look at each other's faces.

"Kageyama?"

"Ishikawa?"

It went by so slowly. It felt like everyone around them was in slow motion. She was pretty. She was really pretty, even if she didn't wear any makeup. Hirari was wearing a black, sleeveless, fitted wool dress which ended just right above her knee. It had a loose turtleneck collar, giving her the appearance of someone with a scarf walking through a wintery night. She had short black lace gloves on and black stockings. Her hair wasn't in her everyday ponytail, the red locks were layered, and framing her facial features just right. The ends of her hair were tied into a loose braid to keep it from swaying around. Her bangs were also brushed to the side. Kageyama blushed deeply at the sight. What will he do? What was he supposed to do? How do you treat a girl again? He completely forgot. "H-Hey!" He was stiff as a soldier again, but this time, his lips were trembling.

Hirari was still too stunned to do anything. She was inwardly screaming. _There is a ho- hand- decen- attractive guy in front of her and his name was Kageyama Tobio._ Her eyes couldn't look into his and she kept pulling her dress down. "W-W-Where's your n-necktie?" She tried distracting him by pointing out something she didn't know that frustrated Kageyama earlier.

Kageyama felt embarrassed, wishing to be on the court instead of dealing with a style he wasn't used to. "I!" He said loudly. "… You?" Hirari responded. He said something to reply, but she didn't hear it. "Um… what?" She asked again. He said it again, but she still couldn't hear what he was saying. She looked at him oddly, and Kageyama inhaled a great amount of air before accidentally yelling "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE A TIE, DAMMIT!" He looked down out of irritation.

A long pause.

Then Hirari started laughing uncontrollably. "W-What!? Do we need a necktie to play volleyball!?" He grunted, taking his necktie from his pocket and extended his hand toward her, accidentally shoving the tie to her face. "Ow!" Hirari looked to her left when her eye was hit. Kageyama panicked, bowing down to apologize. Hirari leaned closer to his bowed figure. "Hey." She said. No answer. "You're not breathing, you know." Still no answer.

With a sigh, she took the necktie from his hand, careful not to touch his skin. She has had enough of all the physical contact, it almost scares her. "Fine, I'll put it on you. Stand up." She sighed, a bit burdened. She didn't really mind it, though. At least the 'delivery boy incident' was patched up. They're a bit comfortable now.

With his head still bowed down, Kageyama's eyes widened when she said that. He looked up at her warily, before his body went back to normal posture. "You know how?" He asked her as she slid the black fabric under his collar. "Yeah. My former middle school's girl's uniform used ties instead of ribbons." She told him. "Oh." Kageyama didn't know what to say. He was obviously still pretty embarrassed about not knowing how to do something all men seemed to know. "Kageyama… you're a really awkward guy, you know? I-I mean, the good kind of awkward! You know… like a cinnamon roll kind of awkward." Hirari's voice was soft, almost like feathers. When he heard that, his eyes widened and for the first time since they met, he finally smiled genuinely.

They were both unaware of it, but from afar, someone was watching from the crowd. That someone was a brunette, her wavy auburn brown hair swept to her side and secured with pins. She wore a dark blue sparkly lace-trimmed dress, inspired by the night sky. Even the long sleeves were made of lace and the hem was unevenly trimmed. The front was short and it went longer at the back, up to her ankles. She watched as Hirari and Kageyama interacted as if they knew each other by heart.

" _If, by chance, you and Kageyama really did end up together,"_

She smiled pitifully, before turning away from the scene. She had always disliked parties, anyway. She didn't like being within a sea of people she didn't even know.

" _I hope we can still be friends."_

She hurriedly maneuvered through the crowd, unmindful of the pair of golden brown eyes watching her. A freckled boy went near the watcher and followed his gaze with his own eyes.

"That's her, right? Aren't you going to talk to her, Tsuki?" Yamaguchi asked. The blonde opened his mouth to answer, without removing his eyes from her. For the first time, Tsukishima was unsure. "There's no reason to."


	10. Chapter 10 Anxiety

They were outcasts.

The real world was too much for them to handle, so they were always together. It was hard to fit in with people who couldn't understand them even though they are trying their best to understand the world. Mashumaro knew that. She was the scheming queen of mischief, although most of that mischief is only directed at Hirari. After all, there was no one else she was happy with. Although she was a naturally happy girl, but she can't openly express herself even though she had other friends besides Hirari.

To her, Hirari was her savior. At the time when she was abandoned by the people she once called friends, the only one who insisted on being her friend was Hirari. Together, they escaped the real world and developed a little world on their own.

Mashumaro sighed, hugging herself. Summer days may be hot as hell, but when the sun goes down; it feels as if she just got lost in the dead of the winter. It reminded of her of the line she drew to divide the people of this world. There were cold people and warm people. She walked aimlessly, obviously not knowing where she'd end up in as usual. She's actually surprised she has never gotten into trouble in the streets. "Good thing I don't catch attention." Or so she thought. She was pretty. A pretty girl walking in the streets would seem dumb for the rest of the world to see. Thing is, she wasn't sure if she was still part of the world.

She was an outcast. She probably just dragged Hirari into being one.

The girl looked up at the sky. "Wow, it does look like my dress." She mumbled to herself. Other than being the queen of mischief (towards Hirari), she was also the queen of random. In her own world, anyway. She always has a tendency to ruin moments although she does not even intend to. Her physical appearance was enough so her personality took the toll of life's imperfection. The stars were reflected in her eyes as she stared into the horizon as if she was in some kind of trance. "If that girl falls in love, she won't be an outcast anymore." She breathed in the sea breeze. "I had no idea how close the sea was to this part of the city." Again, another random thought crossing over with her deep thinking.

The wind blew, and with it, her hair and dress danced under pale moonlight. Sighing, an image flashed into her mind. It was an image of an upset Hirari. She gulped, knowing how scary the other girl was when angry. Hirari may be purer and more innocent than her, but there is nothing more dangerous in this world than innocence. She shook her head and ended up walking back toward the building with a slumped posture. "I'm hungry." A grumble could be heard just right under her chest. She rubbed her tummy, massaging it to at least make it stop making weird noises. Though she looked beautiful for the night, she doesn't even bother to mask her actions. Today was a bad day.

She was an outcast because she was a coward.

She got pissed at the crowd in the train station, couldn't find Hirari anywhere and arrived at Hirari's dad's apartment late so she had to rush. She looked haggard, and her hair had some parts sticking out. She raised her hand weakly to open the doorknob, only to have it opened by someone from the inside. "Ugh." She said. "Why is my mind reacting so slow to everything…?" She groaned, bowing down to the person before even looking at him.

The person stepped aside, letting her in. He watched as she walked like a drunken person, just like the first time he saw her. "Oh, there she is. Why's she talking to herself?" Another person pointed out. "Hey, why do you want to talk to her, anyway? You can just text her the explanation as to why cats are afraid of cucumbers. Don't you have her number?" The other person, Yamaguchi suggested. Tsukishima glared at Yamaguchi, wanting to tell him to stop talking, but decided otherwise. "I removed it from my phone." Tsukishima replied in a monotonous voice before closing the door. Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Um, weren't we going outside for some air?" He asked Tsukishima, who continued walking back to the party. "Changed my mind."

Tsukishima went to sit back on the table where there were supposedly only two seats. The other was for Yamaguchi, but the freckled boy wanted to look around and check out Ukai's former rivals. Tsukishima wasn't even interested in the party in the first place. He tagged along because, well, there was obviously nothing better to do. After a while, Yamaguchi placed two plates of desserts on the table. "I got you your favorite! I was surprised they actually had it there." He enthusiastically told Tsukishima. Although the blonde still had the stoic expression, Yamaguchi was able to tell that he appreciated it. Tsukishima loves strawberry shortcake. A bit too much. "Thanks." He muttered.

By chance, on the empty table in front of them sat a brunette. She looked tired. And hungry. Tsukishima glanced at her every now and then. He didn't know why. They have only met once. That was it.

Plus, she was annoying. Her randomness that night pissed him off.

"Um, Tsuki… why do you keep on forking the cake over and over again without eating it?" The sound of Yamaguchi's voice released him from his thoughts. Tsukishima put the fork into his mouth, not realizing that the cake dropped from the fork and he ended up tasting nothing. "T-Tsuki? Are you sure you don't need fresh air?" Yamaguchi looked worried now. The freckled pinch server thought Kageyama wasn't making any sense when he claimed that Tsukishima was acting weird. Now, Yamaguchi was starting to think that Kageyama may be right about that. This time Tsukishima started focusing too much on the strawberry shortcake, eating it faster than he usually does.

He didn't want to talk to her. There's no reason to. Right?

"MARSHMALLOW! YOU'RE FINALLY HERE! I THOUGHT YOU GOT LOST!" Hirari's voice was loud enough for both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima to hear, even though she was only calling for her friend. Mashumaro shifted her attention to Hirari, with Kageyama and Hinata, who had cake all over their faces. "W-Why do you have cake on your face? I knew you were a messy eater, but, uhh…" Mashumaro was staring at Hirari and Kageyama in horror. Kageyama had cake on both his cheeks. "The Karasuno volleyball club suddenly decided to play with cake and I got involved because…" Hirari shot a look at Kageyama and Hinata. The raven-haired guy looked away, avoiding guilt while Hinata rubbed his head sheepishly. Mashumaro smiled. It seemed to her that her prediction may come true.

"Ah! Kaji-san! We're going to train tomorrow somewhere here in Tokyo! Do you want to come? There's this really awesome quick we're doing and it would be great if you guys get to see us play!" Hinata grabbed both her hands and shook it excitedly. "Oi, you're going to break her arms, you moron." Kageyama told him.

She was an outcast because she chose to be one. Then again, maybe she really didn't have to be one?

Mashumaro had always secluded herself from the real world. She hesitated, but seeing how happy Hinata was in telling volleyball stories and phenomenon, she swore she could hear the good side of the world calling out to her. The boy was one of the "warm people". This is probably her chance. No more stalking in the shadows and making herself unknown. No more pushing Hirari into situations where Hirari does all the talking. Gathering the little courage she had left, she faced Hinata with a shy, but determined expression and nodded. "Yes! We'll go!"

 _Welcome back to the real world, Kaji Mashumaro._


	11. Chapter 11 The Jerk's Way

Mashumaro took a peek inside the court. There was no one there except for Shimizu and Yachi. "Hey, hey. Are they there?" Hirari poked on her shoulder. Even though they have decided to watch something _real_ after a long time of isolation from society, they still had a habit of peeking into places like the suspicious people they are. Yachi was pushing a cart filled with balls toward the side of the court. The blonde manager glimpsed at the door and shrieked when she saw two people peeking and glaring into the court. "D-Don't kill me!" Yachi fell to the ground, shaking and fear-driven. Her shriek caught the attention of Takeda, who just came from the storage room. "Oh! It's those two girls who Hinata was talking about! Good morning." The teacher bowed down to greet them.

"Excuse me. Do you need anything?" Another voice made the girls halt. The two Seijo students turned their heads in a robotic way, only to find Ukai standing there behind him. "…Shit." Hirari accidentally cursed, covering her mouth when the word escaped from it. "Don't tell me…" Mashumaro backed away until she was against the wall as if a strong magnetic force was binding her to it. They braced themselves for the worst. And of course, the worst happened.

Returning from their morning jog were the Karasuno boys. Mashumaro turned white all over. She didn't mind them, she really didn't. She was just too nervous to do anything, since she agreed to Hinata's invitation without thinking about the consequences. Hirari was nervous as well, but she got a bit comfortable to see Hinata's smiling face as he waved at them. She looked at the person running beside him, which was Kageyama, and she timidly raised her hand to wave at him but only succeeded in moving her fingers a tiny bit. Although they were 'okay', she didn't know what she was supposed to feel yet.

"Kaji! Ishikawa! You came!" Hinata grabbed Hirari's hand and shook it in an energetic manner. "Of course they came. Would you have invited them if you expected them not to come?" Kageyama scolded, although Hinata was too thrilled to argue with him.

Meanwhile, Asahi and Sugawara were staring at Mashumaro, who was stood like a statue with her back pressed on the wall. "She's not breathing." Asahi looked troubled. "Um, excuse me… are you okay?" Sugawara tried approaching her but she still did not budge. Hirari was asking about the scratched on Kageyama's cheek, failing to notice a large figure approaching the door behind her. "Your friend needs your help." A husky and quiet voice startled her from behind. She turned around, only to be greeted by a leaving Tsukishima. He went inside the court with Yamaguchi following close without even looking at her. "Ah, that." Hirari looked at Kageyama again. "Tsukishima's a jerk, don't mind him." Hinata stuck his tongue out while the blonde still had his back turned.

It took a few moments for Hirari to realize that Mashumaro was already crumbling to dust on the ground. It also took a while to knock the brunette back to her senses.

It seemed there was a practice match against another school today, which is why Hinata invited his two new friends. Hirari and Mashumaro stood from the side, just a few meters away from Yachi, Shimizu, Ukai, and Takeda. They were actually nearer to the referee. "Hey, what do you think of buttoned tuxedos?" All of the sudden, Mashumaro randomly started a topic which had nothing to do with the situation on-hand once again. "I think they're nice." Hirari remembered the night before and blushed a deep shade of red. She realized that she and Kageyama must have looked like husband and wife due to their matching outfits and the necktie incident. The thought made her skin crawl, but she didn't exactly know what she was feeling. "I think unbuttoned tuxedos are more attractive." Mashumaro said, watching the boys huddle up before their practice game. "So you prefer boys wearing unbuttoned tuxedos?" Hirari asked at the same time the Karasuno team bumped their fists with one another. Mashumaro let out her annoying laugh. "You're an over thinker, you know. I just said I like unbuttoned tuxedos." As soon as the brunette finished her statement, the Karasuno boys walked on the court.

The girls' hearts skipped a beat.

The atmosphere completely changed. Even Mashumaro who had an undeniable part of her which can't read the atmosphere could feel herself her senses tingling. The boys who passed by transformed into a murder of crows. "On second thought," Mashumaro said, leaning on the wall to support herself. "I think I like jerseys, too." Her eyes widened. The Karasuno regulars' aura was suffocating her in a good way. "Hey… so this is the real world, huh?" Hirari asked, and then the referee's whistle was heard. A serve passed through their eyes to the other side of the net. The ball went back and forth until it stayed a good while on Karasuno's side. A dash of orange zipped through the court and the crow flew up. "Yeah. It is."

 _Bam_.

A point for Karasuno. The two girls stayed silent, their fingers trembling. They were silent for the rest of the first set, until a timeout was requested by the other team. The two girls went to the bench, deciding to socialize with the bench players and the female managers. Mashumaro sat on the floor, hugging her knees. She had no idea what just happened. Did Hinata just fly? She wondered if she was wrong about what she thought about humans. She had always believed that humans can never fly. This volleyball team was slowly proving her wrong. She bowed her head and yawned, burying her face into her arms. "How stupid of me." She mumbled. Meanwhile, the Karasuno team was planning their next attack. "They might find a way to stop the quicks soon. Let's try doing some normal quicks while we're at it." Kageyama's voice sounded so serious, it almost made Hirari think twice if he was still the same awkward cinnamon roll she met by chance. "Kageyama." She blurted out without thinking, but it was too late. Kageyama heard her and stopped to look at her. She fidgeted with her fingers and tried looking anywhere besides Kageyama's eyes. "Good luck."

Just that simple thing made Kageyama's heart beat rapidly. He didn't know why. He was beyond surprised, that's the only thing he knew. "Thanks." He nodded to her before stopping to look at Mashumaro, who was still sulking over waking up too early. "Um… Kaji. Are you alright?" He asked. Mashumaro signaled an 'ok' with her hands. "A bit cold, but I'm okay. Thanks for the concern, Kageyama." She told him.

"Ah, I forgot to drink water." Tsukishima stopped pacing towards his position on court. Yamaguchi watched in worry, as Tsukishima went back to the bench. The freckled boy knew that it was rare for Tsukishima to say such a thing. "…But didn't you just drink, Tsuki?"

Mashumaro heard footsteps but she didn't look up to see who the person was. Then the person went away again. "H-Hey, Tsuki! What about your water?" She could hear the voice of a person on the bench call. "Never mind." Another familiar voice from afar caught her attention.

Mashumaro looked up just in time to see the second set starting. She yawned, obviously still feeling sleepy. The memory of being dragged away from the bed by Hirari was still a scar in her brain. It didn't take long for the second set to finish, and it was lunch time for everybody. For some reason, the two girls were dragged by both Hinata and Nishinoya outside were food was served. Hirari was actually surprised that there are still wide areas filled with greenery just outside a practice court in a busy city. "Would you like watermelons?" Kageyama asked Hirari, who was undecided on what to eat. She was too shy to take anything, so Kageyama ended up filling her plate with _everything_ there is served by Shimizu. "T-This is too much…" Hirari stared at the heavy plate. Mashumaro sat on the table with her arms on it and her head resting on them. "Am I the only one feeling cold?" She complained. Hirari laughed, thinking her friend wasn't serious. Mashumaro wasn't even on the mood to get up and choose food. She wouldn't want to admit it but she was too nervous to get up and clumsily gather food from the other table while the others watch her.

"It's hot today." Tsukishima commented, taking off his varsity jacket. Yamaguchi tilted his head while a piece of chicken was dangling from his mouth. He didn't know why Tsukishima was wearing the jacket in the first place. He could have just left it inside before they headed out for lunch. He stared at the blonde as the said blonde stared at a plate of food in front of him. He stood up and got another plate from the table and sat down to divide the food. "… Uhh…" Yamaguchi didn't know how to start but he had a lot of questions. The funny part is, Tsukishima started explaining even though Yamaguchi didn't say anything yet. "I got too much food." And then the blonde stood up, taking his jacket and one plate of food with him, leaving a very confused friend on the table.

Mashumaro sighed for the third time. "Hey, let's go get some more food!" Hinata said. Before Hirari could protest, the boy dragged her with him. "H-Hey! You're breaking her arm, you moron!" Kageyama yelled before running after them. Mashumaro groaned. "I'm too sleepy to walk." She complained again. She heard rustling grass from behind her, and she finally raised her head, but before she could see anything, a large cloth was dropped on her head. It draped all the way to her back and plate of food was placed in front of her hurriedly. She blinked, trying to figure out what had just happened.

It was then when Hinata and Kageyama came back, along with Hirari who had another plate of overflowing food. "K-Kageyama…. This is really too much." The redhead sighed. "Oh! You have food? How come we didn't see you get food? You're fast! And… whose jacket is that you're wearing?" Hinata backed away, a bit weirded out. "But… I thought it was you guys who put it here." Mashumaro innocently admitted. Kageyama, on the other hand, was staring at Tsukishima who calmly sat back on his seat.

Lunch was finally over and Mashumaro finally regained her energy after eating the food set in front of her earlier. "So did you have fun with your superhero?" She started teasing Hirari. "You know, I think I like it better when you're not feeling well." Hirari's eye twitched, glancing at Kageyama to make sure he didn't hear Mashumaro. The brunette laughed, taking off the jacket from her shoulders after realizing how hot it is. Hirari was already pushing Kageyama away from Mashumaro to prevent another embarrassment story. "Is there something wrong?" The raven-haired asked, ignorant about everything.

Mashumaro folded the jacket while walking a few steps behind her friend, accidentally bumping into someone. "Ah, sorry!" She looked _way_ up and came face to face with the person she had been avoiding all this time. She jumped aback and her body was in a karate stance. "W-what do you want?" She was threatening Tsukishima with her fist. The blonde shrugged, smirking at her like the jerk he was. "First of all, no one will believe you know karate if you shake your fist like that. Second, I want my jacket back."

The girl gasped and looked at the jacket in shock. She ran to Tsukishima and pushed the jacket to his chest while looking down at her feet. Tsukishima calmly took his jacket from her. "Tch. Not even a 'thank you'." He mumbled, turning his back on her. Mashumaro raised her head to watch him walk away, a bit dumbfounded. She wondered if it's because she said her thanks to Kageyama earlier before the second set started.

Yamaguchi was patiently waiting for Tsukishima to enter the indoor court. "Um…" Yamaguchi started, but Tsukishima cut him off again before he could say anything. "Don't ask."

When practice finally started again after a few stretches here and there, Ukai decided to improve the team's receiving. Mashumaro and Hirari watched Kageyama set the ball, oblivious to the fact that they were standing too close to receive a stray shot to the face. Hirari backed away, remembering the time when she was _coincidentally_ hit on the face by "Yachi's wrong throw plus Kageyama's fast toss plus Hinata's failure to hit the ball". Takeda handed another ball to Ukai, and the coach whistled. "Alright, Tsukishima, next!"

Tsukishima was able to receive four balls, although had trouble with the fifth one, since Ukai was aiming it far. "Tsukishima, chase after it! Again!" The coach served the ball, accidentally aiming it at Mashumaro. "Watch out!" The brunette stared at the ball heading towards her in a fast motion, unable to move from her spot due to astonishment.

She was even more astonished when she closed her eyes and held out her arms in front of her face, waiting for the pain. All she heard was the sound of the ball bumping into something before tumbling on the wooden floor. She opened one eye first before the other and saw Tsukishima getting up from the floor, dusting off the dirt from his clothes. "That's five. I'm done." He said, facing Ukai. He walked back to where the others are, unmindful of everyone else staring at him weirdly. Ukai's whistle dropped from his mouth. "That was fast." He whispered to himself.

Hirari looked at Mashumaro with a scowl on her face. "That's no fair. How come I got hit by the ball _twice_ already and you weren't?" However, she was ignored when Mashumaro suddenly chased after Tsukishima. "Hey! Tall guy!" She called. Tsukishima stopped walking and looked behind him. The girl looked up at him, biting her lip. "… Thank you… Tsukishima."

"You're annoying." He replied. Mashumaro felt so offended, she swore she wanted to punch him right there. She opened her mouth to say something back, but he beat her to it. "You're annoying when you're not smiling."

Then he walked away.


	12. Chapter 12 In The Spiker's Eyes

Loud footsteps banged against the wooden floor. Everyone opened their doors, wondering who was making noise in the middle of the night. The first ones to open the doors to their rooms were Sugawara and Asahi. They poked their heads through the doorway and watched as Kageyama stomped along the hallways of the place they were staying at. The second ones to open were the first-years, which were Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and Hinata. "Is there something wrong with Kageyama, Hinata?" Yamaguchi pitifully stared at the walking raven-haired boy making his way to the front door. "Huh? I don't know! I didn't walk with him back here because he was with Ishikawa the whole day." Hinata answered back, also wondering why Kageyama was stomping. "The crow transformed into an elephant." Tsukishima mumbled.

Finally, at the end of the corridor was the third-years' room. The door was opened rashly and the worst has come. "KAGEYAMA! IT'S ELEVEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT!" Daichi yelled, scaring both Sugawara and Asahi. Kageyama immediately stopped stomping out of fear that Daichi would kick him out of the training camp this time around. Hinata ran after Kageyama, who was already outside of the house. "Hey, wait!" Hinata leapt from the front porch and continued running until he reached the Karasuno setter. "What was that about?" The short guy asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

There was no response. Kageyama was still walking with his hands balled into fists. His almost-permanent frown was on his face. Hinata thought it was weird for the taller boy to suddenly get in a bad mood without anything happening. He knew that even though Kageyama always had a frown on his face, it's not in his character to _always_ be frustrated. "Is it because I couldn't hit a few of your tosses earlier?" The spiker tried guessing. Kageyama didn't answer. They were basically walking into nowhere and Hinata was having a hard time keeping up with Kageyama's pace. "Is it because I stole a piece of meat from your plate during lunch?" Hinata guessed again, but Kageyama still wasn't listening to him. It didn't take long for them to reach a convenience store just around the corner. Kageyama was already panting. He may have walked too fast. He was about to open the door, but Hinata was being annoying. "Is it because I was teaching Hirari to serve earlier?" Upon the mention of Hirari's name, Kageyama shot his head towards Hinata and glared. The latter squealed, a bit surprised at the sudden response. "That's not it!" Kageyama bawled before entering the store. Hinata tilted his head and realized something he should have realized a long time ago.

Hinata quickly went inside before the door closed. Kageyama was browsing at random shelves, without a purpose. He wasn't going to buy anything, that's for sure. "Kageyama." Hinata tried calling his name. He didn't answer again. The shorter boy was already getting irritated at Kageyama's inattentiveness. It wasn't a normal thing for the volleyball genius to not pay attention. "So it _is_ about Ishikawa. Did I make you mad by calling her by her first name?" Hinata had a mischievous grin on his face, obviously pissing Kageyama even more. "THAT'S NOT IT!" Kageyama yelled again, making the employees inside the store and the other people glance at the oddball pair. After the two boys tried to stare each other down, Kageyama was the first to break the contact, puzzling Hinata even more. Kageyama picked up something random from the shelf. "Hey, Kageyama." Hinata called again, but Kageyama was too busy pondering about something.

" _Bring it!" Hinata shouted as the ball went to their side of the net. Kageyama raised his hands above him, thinking about whom to toss it to. "Hey, Marshmallow." While the ball was getting received by Tanaka, Kageyama could hear Hirari's and Mashumaro's voices from the side of the court. "You see, I saw a really attractive guy at the party last night." Tanaka's receive accidentally passed the ball back to the other side. "Chance ball!" Daichi signaled to Asahi and Sugawara. Kageyama could barely hear his teammates' calls now after overhearing the girls' conversation. "The guy was from Nekoma High, I think. I think I heard he was the captain?" Hirari kept on talking._

 _Without knowing it, Kageyama already had a deadly look on his face. He didn't notice the ball falling to his direction. That was until the ball actually hit him on the face._

"OI, KAGEYAMA!" Hinata finally yelled into Kageyama's ear, successfully snapping him back to reality. Kageyama glared at Hinata again. "What?" He asked aggressively. "Why are you buying hair clips?" The shorter boy pointed at the thing Kageyama picked up from the shelf and handed to the cashier without thinking. He also paid for it without thinking. Ashamed of himself, he snatched the hair clips from the counter and shoved it into his pocket, ignoring Hinata completely. Before Kageyama could leave, Hinata stepped in front of him and opened his arms wide to stop Kageyama from leaving. The other boy looked down at him, raising his eyebrow. "You're acting even weirder than before!" Hinata said.

Kageyama's frown became even more evident on his face. "Hinata." Kageyama uttered. "Is Kuroo Tetsuro more, uh, attractive than me?" He finally asked, his voice barely audible as he looked away from Hinata's eyes. There was a long pause between the oddball pair. "PFF- ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT THAT QUESTION?" Hinata burst out laughing, making Kageyama even angrier and more frustrated. "Of course he is. Isn't that already obvious?" Hinata answered bluntly. "I mean, he's a great player. The captain of Nekoma, too! And he's also an expert in blocking and receiving. He's cool! He also knows how to keep his cool, unlike you who gets angry at every little—ouch! " Hinata was put in a headlock by Kageyama. "I'm going to kill you!"

Hinata struggled to get out of Kageyama's grip, accidentally announcing something. "If you like Ishikawa, why don't you just tell her?"

Suddenly, someone entered the store just in time to see the two boys' rough-housing. "Kageyama? Hinata?" The person said. The duo glanced up and saw Hirari staring at them with wide eyes. Kageyama let go of Hinata, turning away with his hand to his face. _"Shit._ " He thought. "Ah, ah, um, Ishikawa! Hi! What brings you here so _rate_ at night?" Hinata was inwardly panicking, regretting what he just did. He looked at Kageyama. The raven-haired had a glint in his eyes as if he was saying _"I'm going to kill you, Hinata."_

Hinata turned back to Ishikawa, his face pale. "Are you sick, Hinata?" Hirari asked, about to put her hand on Hinata's forehead when Hinata dropped to the ground and crawled backwards. "No! Don't do that! Don't do that while Kageyama's here!" He was screaming so loudly, everyone in the store was staring at them again. Kageyama was completely rooted to his spot. "I'm running an errand for my dad. Since Mom's coming to Tokyo today to join us, he had to wait for her back in the apartment. Mashumaro's already asleep, surprisingly. So I went alone." Hirari was explaining. She was stealing glimpses of Kageyama while talking. "Um, hello, Kageyama." She finally greeted him. Kageyama turned his head towards her, his hand covering his mouth. She was wearing a simple shirt and shorts. Her hair was tied up in an extremely messy bun. A blush crept up to the setter's cheeks. He bowed down to her without saying a word. Hinata stood up and went beside Kageyama again, eyes darting back and forth his two companions. "Oh, wait. I have to buy something." Hirari strode towards a shelf. Behind her, Kageyama hit Hinata at the back of his head. The shorter boy clutched his head in pain. "Why don't you just tell her?" He whispered. "I already did! Is there any other way to like a person?" Kageyama whispered back. Hinata's face formed creases. He never knew Kageyama was _that_ innocent.

Hirari looked at the two boys, wondering what they were mumbling about. "Um…" She said. The boys jolted up, straightening their postures. "Yes?" They asked. The action made Hirari's sweat drop. "I'm going to pay for it now." She uneasily told them, developing a bad feeling as to why they were being weird around here. She thought about Mashumaro calling her an over-thinker, if only the brunette was there. As she paid for the things she bought, she bowed to Kageyama and Hinata before opening the door and heading out.

Just seconds after she headed out, Hinata opened the door again and yelled. "Ishikawa! Let us walk you home!" Hirari flinched. She turned around again, speculating if she heard that right. Kageyama abruptly looked at Hinata with his mouth agape, a terrified look dawning upon his usual frowning face. Hinata nudged him on the arm subtly, ignoring the way Kageyama was eyeing him. "Don't just stand there. Tell her you'll walk her home." He scolded. Kageyama had no choice now. He looked at Ishikawa, feeling nervous for the first time in years. It felt like his very first volleyball match while he was in elementary school. No, in kindergarten. But he suddenly remembered that kindergartners can't play volleyball. "P-Please!" He bowed snappishly, only one word successfully making out of his mouth. Hirari thought for a moment, calculating the chances that she'd get abducted at this time of the night. She was in Tokyo, after all. "Alright." She agreed.

Once again, she was walking ahead of them while Hinata and Kageyama were silently arguing at the back. "Daichi-san will kill us for going back late!" Kageyama told him. "Don't be a jerk! So it's okay for you if Ishikawa walks home alone?" Hinata shot back, silencing Kageyama. The pair froze and straightened their bodies like soldiers again when Hirari turned around. "I bought twin Popsicle sticks, so… do you guys want it?" She asked them. Kageyama looked at Hinata waiting for him to answer. Hinata sighed, thinking how much of a burden it would be if Kageyama was _this_ spineless all the time. "I'll pass. Share it with Kageyama." Hinata said, confusing both Kageyama and Hirari. Hinata had never turned down a nice offer before.

Before Kageyama could protest, Hinata pushed him forward. Kageyama was able to regain control of his balance just inches away from Hirari. They looked away from each other. "H-Here you go." Hirari's hands were shaking and she couldn't even tear the plastic. Kageyama subtly watched her as she struggled. As they continued walking, with Hinata behind for moral support, Kageyama swallowed his saliva and finally said something. "Let me try opening it." He told her with a quiet and whispery voice. "Okay." Hirari handed him the plastic holding the Popsicle stick. He easily tore it and took out the ice-cold food. He tossed the plastic into a garbage can they coincidentally passed by. He focused on the Popsicle, his two thumbs and index fingers on the stick holding it up, splitting it into two. "Wow! That's so cool! Whenever I split it, I end up making it uneven." Hirari sheepishly complimented him. Kageyama was finally calmer, as he handed the other one to Hirari. Their eyes came in contact again. This time, Hirari laughed, taking the Popsicle stick from Kageyama's hand.

Hinata stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kageyama was laughing. "It's the second time I saw you laugh now." Hirari commented, biting on the food. "T-The first time wasn't a laugh!" Kageyama denied.

" _Wow, Kageyama. That's amazing. You do like her_." Hinata thought.

* * *

"Hey, Oikawa. What if those girls actually took what you said seriously, but accidentally made Kageyama fall for one of them?" Iwaizumi asked before running to the net. Someone threw the ball to Oikawa, as the Seijo setter held up his hands to toss to the ace. "Why should I care about that?" He asked back, tossing up the ball to the air.

"You're a moron, Oikawa."

 _Bam._


	13. Chapter 13 Plot Twist

"Tsuki, why are you still awake?"

Tsukishima felt all the hairs on his back stand up. Yamaguchi was peeking from behind him, checking what he's doing. He thought whatever Tsukishima was doing, it must be serious since the blonde did not notice him approaching. "Is that a poem?" The freckled boy asked again. Tsukishima forcibly turned his face away. Moments like these, he wished he had longer bangs so he could hide his face with them. He had eyeglasses, though, which helped him get through. "Yes." He calmly answered, silently wishing he hadn't been too loud in rummaging through his bag. Now, Yamaguchi's awake and the odds of the blonde crushing his own pride right there and right now have increased. "What's it for?" Yamaguchi asked again, obviously curious.

Yamaguchi may not stand out as much as the others, but he was a smart person. He knew Tsukishima was hiding something and he also knew that the blonde was never an expert in expressing his feelings. He thought of catching Tsukishima red-handed. Unfortunately, Tsukishima was also a smart person. It is a win-lose situation for them both. "Summer homework." Tsukishima was quick to make excuses. The blonde still didn't face him. Yamaguchi made a face. He didn't recall their literature teacher giving them summer homework. "Can I read it?" Yamaguchi asked, hopeful.

The two of them sat there awkwardly for a while. "Yeah." Tsukishima finally faced Yamaguchi, handing him the paper. He watched Yamaguchi make a weird face. Yamaguchi was reading the poem, wanting to ask Tsukishima why he was writing a poem about dinosaurs. He returned the paper back to Tsukishima without asking, anyway. "I thought you were writing a love poem." He said, standing up and dusting his clothes. The funny thing is, Tsukishima _was_ trying to write a love poem. "Tch." The blonde said, tossing the paper into the trash bin. He was never good in writing about feelings and human emotions. When he turned around to go towards his futon, Yamaguchi was already facing him. The freckled boy had a really determined expression and it made Tsukishima slightly nervous. "Do you like her?" Yamaguchi suddenly asked.

The blonde backed away a little, making sure not to let Yamaguchi notice his surprised reaction. "I don't like short girls." He said, passing by Yamaguchi and walking to his futon. Yamaguchi snickered, causing Tsukishima to look back at him quickly. "I never mentioned anyone being short, Tsuki." Yamaguchi said.

 _Shit._

It looks like Yamaguchi won this round.

"If it's just a little crush no need to get so worked up about it." Yamaguchi told him, smiling. Tsukishima turned his head away from Yamaguchi again, without saying another word. He thought that the more he talked, the more Yamaguchi would notice something. It's not like he liked anyone, anyway. "Unless you _really_ like the person that you keep on making excuses just to see her. I used to like someone before, too." The boy continued on. Tsukishima still wasn't answering as he fixed his futon, although he stiffened at the 'making excuses' part. "And it's a nice feeling _when you save her from a stray ball_ while we're practicing."

Tsukishima lied down. "I didn't save Kaji. I followed the coach's orders." He coolly said, not realizing the hole in his statement.

"Tsuki… I didn't say it was Kaji."

 _Shit._

Tsukishima bolted upright and stared at Yamaguchi with wide eyes. His eyeglasses weren't on his face anymore so his reaction was very clear to Yamaguchi. "So I was right?" Even so, Yamaguchi was unsurely rubbing the back of his head. Tsukishima closed his mouth, which was hung agape after Yamaguchi's smart move. "Tch." He lied down again in a hasty way, accidentally hitting his head on the floor. He didn't realize that he was not on the futon anymore. "Ow." He sat upright again, clutching his head in pain. "Tsuki!" Yamaguchi panicked, running towards him and bending down. "Ah, sorry, Tsuki."

"This is your fault, you know." Tsukishima knew it wasn't Yamaguchi's fault. He just didn't want to admit it. "But if you like Kaji, why aren't you talking to her? Or at least be nice to her."

Suddenly, the door was opened brashly, hitting the wall with a bang. "TSUKISHIMA LIKES KAJI?" Hinata yelled. Kageyama was behind him, looking at him in an odd way. "I keep asking if there's another way to like a person and no one's answering me. So I'm not going to ask again." He complained. Before anyone could say another word and wake the others up, Tsukishima stood up, dragged both Hinata and Kageyama into the room and closed the door. They kneeled in a corner, waiting for one of them to say something. "I don't like her." Tsukishima was the first to say something.

"LIAR!" The three other boys were quick to react. "I saw you dropping your jacket on her earlier afternoon." Kageyama reasoned out. "I saw you save her from the accidental serve! And you don't even like receiving!" Hinata was the loudest. "I saw you staring at her during the event of—I'm sorry." Yamaguchi looked down at his hands when Tsukishima shot a glare at him. The blonde had a death aura all over him, creeping the others out. Suddenly, a smirk was on his face. "Wait, so why am I the center of attention here? It's not fair, since our King is obviously head over heels over someone, too."

This time, Kageyama was the one glaring. "Don't get cocky." He said, even though he doesn't know what they really mean. "Tsukishima…" Hinata said. The blonde shifted his attention towards the orange-haired spiker. "… You said 'too'. Gotcha."

Both Kageyama and Tsukishima looked away, not liking how the conversation was going. Yamaguchi stood up and looked at Hinata. "Hinata." He gestured for Hinata to stand up. Hinata was confused but he followed Yamaguchi to another corner of the room, anyway. Tsukishima sighed, grabbing Kageyama's attention. While the two moral supporters were whispering on another sight of the room, Tsukishima and Kageyama were having a hard time starting a conversation between themselves. "So what exactly does 'like' mean, dammit?" Kageyama couldn't stop himself from cursing while he's face to face with Tsukishima. "Talking like Tanaka-san seems like a nice plan." The blonde razzed the raven-haired boy, pissing him off instantly. The pressure between them was rising once again. "They say… 'liking' someone means being selfish." Tsukishima followed his statement with another. Kageyama was taken aback at the answer. He wasn't expecting it. "Wanting that person to look you and only you. That sort of stuff." Kageyama could have sworn that it was Tsukishima's own definition and not someone else's. The blonde was naturally selfish, but it may not always be a bad thing. "Unless you're dumb enough not to know that you like someone." Tsukishima ended his sentence with an insult, pissing off Kageyama once again.

"Alright!" Hinata and Yamaguchi called their attention. The two giants stopped their 'conversation' to look at their two friends. "We have a plan to help you guys!" Hinata looked really confident, and it disturbed Kageyama. Tsukishima's eyebrows furrowed. "This is going to help you both express yourselves more." Yamaguchi explained. "You guys are going on a date."

Kageyama and Tsukishima stared in distraught. They both clenched their fists. "With who?" Tsukishima asked.

Hinata pointed at them with authority. "With each other."


	14. Chapter 14 The Most Awaited Date

A few days have passed since the moment of truth incident. Strangely enough, Kageyama and Tsukishima had not said a word towards each other since then. They were lucky that the others have their own techniques and businesses to take care of so no one in the team noticed their frequent avoidance of each other. Even though Yamaguchi and Hinata were pushing them to interact since they're "on the same boat for now", they just end up pissing each other off in the process.

Before they knew it, the last day of their training camp has arrived. Just before, Hinata had made an effort to persuade their coach into letting Tsukishima and Kageyama do their "individual practices". At first, Ukai was looking at Hinata in a rather odd way, hesitantly believing in whatever he was saying. That was until Hinata told him that Ukai's former teammates gave him and Kageyama Ukai's embarrassing high school pictures. Ukai finally agreed without hesitation, making Hinata promise to return his old pictures before the day ends.

Yamaguchi was unable to believe Hinata's story, as the spiker cheerfully went on and on about how Ukai reacted. "I-I can't believe you blackmailed our coach." The ever-supportive friend of Tsukishima looked guilty. Hinata was the one who volunteered to 'handle the coach' before they execute their "training". As for the spiker, he looked willing to put both the Karasuno blocker and setter in hell by forcing them to abide by the plan later. After a few difficult coaxing and blackmailing, Yamaguchi and Hinata was finally able to bring Kageyama and Tsukishima face to face. However, the two did nothing but intimidate each other with their glares.

"Alright, so here's the plan." Yamaguchi peeked outside their room to check if there's anyone outside. "Tsukishima will just pretend that Kageyama's Kaji and Kageyama will just pretend that Tsukishima's Ishikawa. What's so hard about that?" Hinata crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow at the two big bad wolves. Tsukishima narrowed his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets. "It's like you're telling me that the girl I have a crush on is a hot-headed, egotistical idiot and it's pissing me off."

Upon hearing Tsukishima's words, Kageyama turned to Hinata while pointing at Tsukishima furiously. He grabbed Hinata on the collar with his other hand. "Oi! How the hell am I supposed to _imagine_ that this jerk is Ishikawa? They're worlds apart!" Yamaguchi closed the door, stepping in to help Hinata. "That's why we're asking you to cooperate." He abruptly caught sight of Tsukishima as the blonde looked away. "That's right! Don't be picky! You're the most innocent one here!" Hinata told Kageyama. The setter looked extremely pissed for being forced to do something he doesn't want to do. He doesn't even know what they meant by 'like' and was he 'innocent'.

"You can't just make _two guys_ go on a date!" He complained. "Don't be sexist! Who's the one standing stiff as a flagpole when Ishikawa talks to him?" The spiker was more than determined to teach his friend about the ways of 'love'. With twitching eyebrows, Kageyama looked at Tsukishima in annoyance. Without saying anything, Kageyama nodded regrettably. "Tsuki?" Yamaguchi sternly asked, with a tone that's insisting Tsukishima to look back at him. "How sure are you that I even like her? A simple crush can go away in a blink of an eye. There's no point in making an effort on something that's not even permanent." The stubbornness of Tsukishima was already annoying enough, and now he decided to mix it with his negativity.

"But that's exactly why we're going to try. And how sure am I? I think I, and everyone here, are a hundred percent sure. I mean… come on, is everything measured by time? So what if you barely know the person? It took a while for all of us to learn volleyball, but we already liked it before we even learned it." Hinata said in his usual tone, but there's something in it that made everyone cringe in anticipation. "Tch." The blonde said before finally looking back at Kageyama.

Hinata and Yamaguchi bumped their fists. "Training commence!" And with that said, Hinata dragged Kageyama outside the room, much to the boy's protests, while Yamaguchi stayed with Tsukishima inside. "Alright, Tsuki. The first thing you do before a date is to choose what to wear. Try choosing something that looks good on you!" He supported Tsukishima and pushed him towards his bag. The latter stared, rather uninspired, at the bag filled with nothing but shirts, volleyball shorts, and his jersey. "No need. I think what I'm wearing right now is fine."

In another room, Hinata was forcibly pushing the hole of the shirt through Kageyama's head. "Just wear it! Stop being stubborn already!" He was being pushed away by Kageyama's right foot, the raven-haired boy struggling to pull the shirt off his head. "Why do I have to waste my clothes just for this stupid idea of yours?" Kageyama grunted. After a few kicks and tumbles, Hinata successfully forced Kageyama to change his clothes. Taking a peek outside the room to see if anyone will notice if they leave, Hinata pulled Kageyama until they were outside. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were already outside, waiting for them. Yamaguchi took out a map of Tokyo, explaining to them where the best places are before handing over the map to Tsukishima. "Well, good luck!" Yamaguchi and Hinata waved goodbye as the two others took a bus. Hinata was even jumping with joy.

As soon as the bus left, Hinata and Yamaguchi looked at each other and nodded. "Let's take the next bus."

* * *

 _I hate you._

It was written on both their faces. They even sat on opposite chairs, refusing to be beside each other. They were able to go through the whole bus ride without even looking at each other, staring outside opposite windows. Kageyama would doubt the idea if it was only Hinata who suggested it, but he wondered why the smart Yamaguchi went through with it. Meanwhile, Tsukishima was without a care in the world, silently regretting his decision.

When the bus finally came to its fifth stop, Tsukishima was already feeling sleepy. "Oi." His drowsiness was gone as soon as he heard the infuriating voice of his enemy. He turned to the direction of the voice and saw Kageyama staring at him with cross eyes. "Where do you wanna go, dammit?" The words escaped Kageyama's mouth like an arrow. Tsukishima's eyes widened at the aggressive words. Smirking, the blonde stood up from his seat. "If I were Ishikawa, where would you be taking me?" Tsukishima said before taking his leave. Kageyama rapidly stood up, hitting his head in the process before running after Tsukishima.

"You bastard! You have a map of Tokyo and you were planning to leave me there?" His complaint fell to deaf ears, as Tsukishima took out the map of Tokyo from his pocket and continued walking.

"As much as I'd be _happy_ to leave you there, I can't, because if anything happens to the godly setter, all blame will automatically be placed on a lowly commoner like me. It's not like I signed up to be your babysitter, anyway." The blonde ended up replying, his eyes darting on Kageyama's clothes. "Seems you were really excited today. Nice change of clothes." He followed. "Ha?! No one would be excited jumping from place to place with you!" An argument started once more. The boys bickered as they walk, until Tsukishima stopped in front of a cheap restaurant, tired from all the walking. Both guys were disgusted by having to eat with each other, but the concierge had already assigned them on the same table. Plus, it was already lunchtime and they knew their hunger would only make the day worse.

"Pay for your own food." Tsukishima reminded Kageyama as he set down the menu on the table. Kageyama growled in frustration, taking the menu and reading through it, with Tsukishima sitting on the opposite side in a laidback fashion, his arms crossed against his chest. "What the hell? You chose a crappy restaurant, beanpole. Is there anything on this menu that's not dessert?" Kageyama complained once more. "If you have any complaints, feel free to discuss it with the manager. Else, turn to the other pages first before judging. It's like you're asking us commoners to make you a meal of royalty." Tsukishima sarcastically replied, tapping his finger on his arm out of impatience. Kageyama didn't say another word and just turned to the page and chose the third thing. When the menu was set down on the table, Kageyama called the waiter and ordered the fugashi, while Tsukishima ordered strawberry shortcake. When the waiter left, Kageyama's eyebrow went higher as he looked at Tsukishima questioningly. "You're only going to have dessert? That's it?"

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow back and his smug smirk was on his face. "Surprise." He answered, irritating Kageyama out of his wits. Although he really was surprised that Tsukishima liked strawberry shortcake.

After only a short while, their orders arrived. Unfortunately for Kageyama, he didn't like their fugashi cooking at all. He even took a large bite, as usual. Tsukishima watched in displeasure at the disgusted scowl on the King's face. Sighing, the blonde's hand made its way to the bread knife and cut the cake in half. A bewildered Kageyama watched as his enemy set half of the strawberry shortcake on his plate, making sure that all 'unpleasant' fugashi were out of the way. "Are you sick?" Kageyama asked, still flabbergasted. "Wow. After all this humble servant went through, the King is still not satisfied?" Tsukishima shot back, clearly getting annoyed at Kageyama's childish whims. "What did you say, you bastard?" Kageyama tried hard to hold in his anger but all he sees whenever he looks up is a face that's enough to ruin his day. Tsukishima did not say another word.

When they finished, the bill arrived as soon as they requested it. They both took out their wallets to place the money on the tray. Before Tsukishima could pay for his order, Kageyama placed enough money to cover for all the expenses. "Are you sick?" Tsukishima asked, his hand freezing in his wallet. "Just shut up." Kageyama said before standing up to leave. After a few seconds, Tsukishima put his wallet back into his pocket and walked behind Kageyama until they exited the restaurant.

"Now what?" Kageyama asked. Tsukishima shrugged his shoulders. "I think this is enough. We should be practicing volleyball. We've wasted a day." The Karasuno setter suggested. "Oh? Is volleyball the only thing you like in this world?" The clever blocker teased before walking away again. Kageyama flinched at the statement and stomped towards the blonde. "Of course not!"

Tsukishima was calmly walking, not bothering to even look at his enemy. "Volleyball…" He said, causing Kageyama to turn his head to Tsukishima's direction again as they walked side by side but still a meter apart. "Do you feel your heart bursting when with volleyball?" The sudden question half-pissed and half-confused Kageyama. "Yes." He answered. "Are you willing to sacrifice so much effort for volleyball?" The blonde knew the answers, but decided to ask, anyway. "Yes." Once again, Kageyama answered. "Does watching volleyball make you happy?" Another question was thrown at Kageyama, but the answer was always the same. "Not as much as when I'm actually the one playing, but yes."

"Now," Tsukishima changed his tone, finally glaring back at Kageyama. "Replace the word 'volleyball' with 'Ishikawa Hirari'."

The other boy's eyes widened at the change of plan. He put his hand on his chin, thinking hard. "I have one more question, King." Tsukishima said, disrupting Kageyama's thinking. They walked past buildings and people until they reached the part in Tokyo where they could basically see a nice view. They were on a high bridge. They two stopped, the wind blowing through their faces as they stared into the horizon. "Are you selfish enough to win volleyball?"

The wind became gentler.

Kageyama didn't answer. "In volleyball, you have to be selfish to win. Even if your best friend is on the opposing team." Tsukishima explained. "It's the same with _liking_ someone. Now, did that answer your long-time question, King?" The blonde knew that there was no other way to explain anything to Kageyama unless it is compared with volleyball. They resumed on their walk, Kageyama trailing behind Tsukishima.

"Ah! My bag! Help!" A shriek was heard on the direction they were heading to. Tsukishima stopped in his tracks, but Kageyama didn't notice it. He accidentally bumped into Tsukishima's back. "Oi! Don't stop walking!" A vein popped in his forehead. Tsukishima glared back at him, annoyed at the setter's hot-headed attitude. Running footsteps were heard coming from up front, and they both turned to the direction with pissed-off looks on their faces. There was a man clutching a woman's bag and seemed to be running for his life. The man stopped when he saw the two giants.

They were apparently glaring at him unintentionally. "Ack!" The man yelped, dropping the bag and running off, scared. A woman came rushing after and picked up her bag. "Thank you, boys." She bowed her head. Tsukishima and Kageyama both looked at each other, knowing that they didn't even do anything but piss off each other. They bowed back in courtesy. "I'm sorry; I hope this is enough to pay you boys back. I'm an accessory designer, so the only things I can offer you are these necklaces." The kind woman handed over two necklaces two Kageyama and Tsukishima. Kageyama received a complicated red brooch attached to the golden chain. On the other hand, Tsukishima received a nice baby blue pendant, which looked like ice. "I'm sorry if these are for females. I specialize in women's wear." The lady apologized. "It's okay, maam." Kageyama rest assured.

"But if you two nice boys have girlfriends or someone you like, you can give it as a gift. I'm sure the girls will love that."

* * *

The door opened, just in time for Ukai to exit. But before he did, two tired-looking boys went inside, forgetting to greet Ukai. "Ah, Kageyama and Tsukishima. How were your individual practices?" The coach enthusiastically asked, awaiting a good response.

"T'was horrible."

"I'm not doing it again."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in Tokyo, two certain boys were completely lost. "Why'd you have to give that map to Tsukishima? Now we're lost with no money and at the point of no return!" Hinata pumped his fists madly into the air. Yamaguchi sighed in dismay. "It was a bad thing to try to follow them."


	15. Chapter 15 Missed Opportunities

_Meanwhile, on the same day of the "Kageyama and Tsukishima date"…_

* * *

"That's your fault for going out wearing only home clothes late at night." Mashumaro looked up from her tablet, glimpsing at a sneezing girl on the bed, chuckling meanly. The other girl brought a handkerchief to her nose and a pack of ice to her head. "Instead of being mean to me, at least take care of me, you know." She huffed, wishing she didn't ignore the cold although she really didn't feel cold that night, because Kageyama was with her, but it's not like she'd admit that to Mashumaro.

Unfortunately, her mean friend's right eyebrow raised, bangs hiding it from view. "Want me to call Kageyama?" Her friend purred with a teasing tone, making a tinge of red creep up to her cheeks and butterflies go crazy in her stomach. She accidentally dropped the bag of ice on her face, causing her nose to bleed. She fell to her pillow, the handkerchief slowly fluttering to hide her flustered expression. "I'd like that."

Hearing her unusual words, Mashumaro sharply raised her head, eyes focused on her friend with handkerchief covering her entire face. The bag of ice was dropped to the floor with a thud, a puddle slowly forming around it. "What?" The brunette wasn't sure if she heard that clearly and became more unsure when she asked. It felt like she was giving Hirari a chance to change her answer and for some reason, she didn't want the redhead to change her answer. "I'd like that. Kageyama is a nice person." To the brunette's shock, Hirari did _not_ change her answer. "Okay. Confirmed, you're sick." Mashumaro concluded that the heat must be getting to Hirari.

For Hirari, it was a good thing she was sick. She had a lot of excuses to make up for her current expressive attitude. It was also a good thing Mashumaro did not have a habit of pushing emotions too far. She knew she could always get past the permeable barrier of ignorance that is the marshmallow. "But don't call him. He's probably on a date with Tsukishima Kei." Hirari quickly followed up her weird hunch. She didn't know why, but it was just a random guess. Before she knew it, Mashumaro was already laughing uncontrollably, her whole body moving to support herself from falling on the floor.

"You're an over-thinker! It's not like those two are really out on a date!" The dense marshmallow accused, not knowing that Hirari's guess is _probably_ true. She was still not used to the redhead's unbelievable talent of premonition. Even the time when she lost her phone, the redhead was already making up the whole story accurately, but Mashumaro was too dense to realize it. "Anyway, Maro-chan." The redhead sat upright, the handkerchief falling from her face. She could barely reach her wallet from the desk just inches away from the bed. The brunette let out a deep sigh before standing up and taking the wallet. "Let me guess. You want me to buy you something again?" The redhead made her hand to back of her head, laughing nervously. "Just some medicine and chips. Sorry, though. My mom's out to accompany my dad so… yeah."

Mashumaro didn't really mind being Hirari's temporary nurse. She had nothing better to do the whole summer vacation, anyway. Besides, they were going back to Miyagi tomorrow and she hadn't seen the best of Tokyo yet. Funny that the girl didn't know that a certain volleyball club was also going back to Miyagi on the same day. Funny that life was always full of fateful incidents and she didn't know. She was always too dense to know. Taking the spare keys to the apartment and spinning the loop on her index finger, she got out.

She didn't like being outside. Back in Miyagi, all she did was stay at home and write poems and stories or maybe play video games. Then again, she would like to explore new places although she sure wished there was someone to bring her to places. Making her way the elevator, she silently wished there was no one else inside and her prayers were heard. She went inside and pressed the button to the ground floor, relieved. The numbers up the elevator door were slowly descending from 5. She went back to her thoughts, wondering if there's someone who'd just aimlessly take her to a place with lots of desserts to choose from, maybe even share a cake with her or something. Shaking her head, it was also a stupid idea.

Meanwhile, Hirari was getting bored every minute even though Mashumaro had just left the apartment. Pressing a new bag of ice on her forehead, she stood up from the bed and went to the window, contemplating about how nice it would be if someone treated her or spoiled her like a little princess even just for a day. Maybe even race her to place bills on a tray after eating in a restaurant and act as if he didn't just do something sweet. A wild guess popped into her head again, imagining if Kageyama did something like that. "That can't be right. He's not going to go that far." She sighed, closing the curtains and heading back to bed. Little did she know, a bus stopped for the fifth time just a few blocks away from the apartment.

Mashumaro lazily walked towards the exit, groaning and complaining about how hot it was to even step outside. Everyone was already staring at the girl who had a nice physical appearance but was walking funnily. She was a fast walker _because_ she was lazy. She wanted to get things through with immediately. Although she usually worked fast, she was still a slow picker when it comes to restaurant menus and is extremely indecisive about where and what to eat. She lets other people decide for her instead, but if she's alone, she just chooses the simplest but satisfying dish she sees. She didn't need a meal of royalty fit for a king. Nevertheless, if she didn't like the dish, there's probably someone out there who'd be more than willing to give her a taste of a different dish. "That can't be right." She mumbled. As soon as she _finally_ reached the door, little did she know that a certain duo had just gone inside the restaurant beside the apartment building.

Back in the apartment unit, Hirari tossed and turned on the bed impatiently. She stood up again, ignoring the bolt of electricity that seemingly burst into her brain, giving her a migraine. Grabbing a pencil and paper from the drawer, she started drawing although she wasn't sure what she was exactly drawing. What exactly would she _like_ to draw? She thought to herself if the only thing she really liked was drawing. She knew it wasn't. She knew deep in her heart that she also liked warmth. She loved the pure and the innocent. She liked childishness and awkwardness, the type of awkward like two kids trying to interact with each other on the very first day of kindergarten. She drew mindlessly, thinking about the warm feeling of someone innocent learning about the world and the evolution of feelings.

Anger was an unpleasant emotion to handle, but she liked it, anyway. She liked arguing loudly and making up right after and laughing it off. She liked the type of argument where it feels like it's more of a way to get close rather than just plain fighting. She liked arguing over senseless things because she found it funny and weird. She sighed as she finished her sketch.

Reaching the pharmacy, a certain brunette was clumsily avoiding other people as she struggled to find medicine for her friend. She was a happy girl and a hyperactive idiot sometimes, but she was still an introvert. She peeked into a medicine rack and read Hirari's note again. Taking a bottle filled with tablets that could soothe headaches, she knew there was something missing on the redhead's list. She looked up, disappointment raining over her face when she realized that the cough syrup was too high for her to reach. She tiptoed, raising her hands to reach it, slightly grumbling and complaining about how much of a burden it is to be short.

She didn't know it, but there was surely someone out there who'd take the medicine simply and maybe even tease her by raising it further up so her chances to reach it would be zero. She didn't know it, that's why she hated her height, but there's someone out there who'd like to keep her short so he could always have an excuse to pick her up or protect her. She didn't know it, but there surely was an entity of intimidation, ready to fight with words and intelligence rather than be violent about it. She liked those kinds of stuff. As an introvert, she liked headphones and music. She liked the cold, even though she gets easily affected by it. She liked sarcasm, not because she liked rudeness but because it always makes her laugh. She liked subtle actions showing care and concern. She believed that no words are necessary to explain how much a person cares. She sees the good in selfishness, and like the idea of someone trying to keep her for themselves. "Excuse me, miss. Do you need help with that?" A security guard finally asked her. "Yes, please."

Hirari looked out the window once again, while Mashumaro passed over a bridge where a magnificent view was right before her eyes. They stared into the horizon, thinking the same thing. "It must be nice to have someone here with me."

The brunette crossed the streets, not knowing that a pair of boys was on their way to the bridge. "Ah! My bag! Help!" Mashumaro heard a woman. Suddenly, a man dashed forward accidentally hitting her shoulder and crossing the street right after. She let out a yelp in surprise. Chasing after the man was a woman and before she continued her chase, she bowed to apologize. As the woman disappeared from her sight, Mashumaro continued on her walk home. She thought about how irritated she was at that man and that she was too weak to help. "If Tsukishima Kei was here, one glare would be enough to make that man drop to his knees." She mumbled. Little did she know, a certain blonde _was_ there.

Back in the apartment, Hirari was staring at her drawing with wide eyes and shaking fingers. "… I actually drew Kageyama without knowing it?" She thought of hiding the drawing before Mashumaro gets back.

The day was a missed opportunity for them, but none of them knew it. If only they were brave enough to ask someone out or to get to know a person. The missed opportunity was like knowing that Hirari liked cookies while Kageyama liked milk, but not doing anything about it. The idea of them sharing a pack of cookies and dipping those in a glass of milk didn't cross their mind because none of them knew. Mashumaro liked talking while Tsukishima liked to listen.

Some people are perfect for each other, but opportunities were always missed day-by-day.

Then again, somewhere out there is a woman giving two boys necklaces to make up for the lost opportunity they didn't know they had. But they will someday.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This is not the ending yet. It's just the beginning.**


	16. Chapter 16 Home Dates

"We're not going back to Miyagi yet."

One in an apartment building and the other in an indoor gym. Although there was a great distance between the two places, a coach and a father said that in unison.

"WHAT? YAY!" A group of boys somewhere and a pair of girls in another place also said that in unison.

"Oh look, Hirari, a butterfly." The only difference in that moment is, there was a queen of randomness in the apartment.

* * *

 _10 hours ago. 9:20am._

"Since we're going back to Miyagi later at night, we should explore Tokyo, right?" Mashumaro suggested. "That is… if only you were feeling well." She followed with great dissatisfaction as she watched a sick Hirari tumbling over the bed and falling to the floor. Mashumaro pondered, thinking about what to do with her friend. "Y-You can go explore Tokyo without me! I'll just be here, sleeping all day, alone…" Hirari quietly said as she climbed back to the bed weakly. With an aggravated look upon the brunette's face, she burst. "Don't use sarcasm to make people feel guilty, you ginger-head!"

Hirari laughed, winking at Mashumaro. Her right formed a peace sign. "Just kidding." Mashumaro smiled _sweetly_ in return, and in turn, the redhead backed away to the farther corner of the bed, hugging the sheets to her chest. "W-W-What does that smile mean? You're not getting your way!" She hid her face in the sheets from Mashumaro, a devious plan forming in the brunette's mind. She turned her back to Hirari, ignoring the redhead's panicking. "I'm going to take a bath and go outside. What time are your parents coming back?" She asked Hirari, who lowered the sheets so her eyes could still see Mashumaro. "I think around 7 o'clock at night."

Mashumaro closed the door of the bathroom behind her. "Hmm… 10 hours would be more than enough."

* * *

 _8 hours ago. 11:12am. Lunch._

"Eat up!" Nishinoya was, as usual, telling everyone to eat well and grow stronger. The first years were all on the same table, trying to avoid mentioning what happened the day before. The second years, too, were huddled in one table. The third years were either helping Yachi and Shimizu make the food and wash the dishes or just sitting on their own table. The oddball pair was eating more than usual, leaving a disgusted Tsukishima and Yamaguchi sitting opposite of them. Hinata stood up to get seconds, obviously racing Kageyama to who can eat the fastest. "That was a false start, dammit!" Kageyama stood up right after Hinata placed his new bowl of rice on the table.

Just as Kageyama was about to ask Shimizu for rice, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked around, checking to see if there was anyone left outside. Realizing that even the coach and Takeda were both inside, they all got curious as to who the mystery visitor was. They all turned their heads quickly to Kageyama, who was the only one standing at the moment. Of course, Kageyama's eyebrows slanted down to his nose, getting the hint. He marched toward the door and opened it, his expression quickly changing from a burdened one to a perplexed one. "Kaji?"

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi both turned around to look.

Mashumaro was a bit taken aback when the door was opened. _Everyone_ was staring at her. Her face went as red as a tomato as she bowed down clumsily and took Kageyama's hand. "Please excuse us!" She said before slamming the door in panic. The whole volleyball club was silent for a moment. "Damn that Kageyama! Getting close with girls too easily!" Nishinoya got riled up, accidentally hitting his glass of orange juice. The liquid spilled into Tanaka's food. "Noya!" The bald delinquent complained. "Is there something between Kageyama and Kaji?" Asahi innocently asked Sugawara. The grey-haired setter laughed. " _KajiYama_ doesn't sound bad."

Hinata and Yamaguchi gulped after hearing everyone's comments. They both slightly looked at Tsukishima, who paused from eating his food. They shivered in fear.

Imagine Tsukishima's face.

* * *

 _5 hours ago. 2:00pm_

Hirari was woken up by the doorbell. "What? Marshmallow's back already? It's only been two hours…" She yawned, thinking that the brunette must have not wandered pretty far. She lazily stood up, scratching her back while opening the door. "Where have you b—"

Kageyama was staring at her weirdly. Her hair was down from the ponytail but was really messy; it almost looked like a bird has made her head its nest. Her hand was on her back in a scratching position and she was wearing baby blue polka dot shorts and a sleeveless tank top. Hirari, even though she had a fever, was pale. Really pale. Pale because of e _xtreme_ mortification. No, she was even _beyond_ mortified.

She ran back inside, screaming how much she hated Mashumaro and all her schemes. "Um… Ishikawa." She hid under the blanket. "Ishikawa?" She could hear Kageyama's voice but didn't hear his footsteps coming closer. "Can I go inside? Should I close the door?" He sounded so confused and calm at the same time, Hirari had no choice but to say something. It didn't look like he was going to leave, too. "Y-Yeah… Come in." Her muffled voice was able to reach Kageyama's ears although it was barely audible. She could hear the sound of a door closing and footsteps to the bedroom. "I brought some cookies."

When she heard Kageyama say that, she pulled the sheets quickly from her face.

Her face was only inches away from Kageyama's. They both couldn't move a muscle, although Kageyama looked completely calm in contrast to Hirari's fuming red face. Before she could pull the sheets back, Kageyama's hand made its way to the back of her head, stopping her from backing away. She couldn't keep her calm, and her heart felt like it was going to fly out of her chest as if it was spiked by Hinata to the court. Kageyama leaned closer, their foreheads touching. Hirari closed her eyes out of instinct, the sound of her heartbeat deafening her ears.

Kageyama went away. Just like that.

Hirari's eyes shot opened. She blinked at him, slightly(just slightly, not very)disappointed. She hated herself for feeling that way. "What was that for?" She asked him, demanding an answer. Kageyama took out the chicken soup from the plastic bag. He looked at Hirari, looking just as confused as the girl. "Eh? I checked your temperature by comparing it to mine." He tilted his head, saying his statement without malice. Kageyama had always been someone who does things without malice. This made Hirari think that he was actually really pure and innocent, despite how he looks. She sighed, a bit calmed down, although her appearance was still as embarrassing as ever.

Although they both hated it, their embarrassments are the ones that kept them together.

The girl was restlessly shaking. She knew that if her parents arrived _now_ , she'd be dead meat. Maybe Kageyama would also be dead meat. She wasn't going to tell him that, though. He won't understand why, since he is, after all, _without_ malice. She watched Kageyama prepare the soup on the table. His side view looks good although not as better as his front view, that's what she thought.

She slapped herself. The heat must be getting to her.

"Here." Kageyama told her. She nodded, crawling to the edge of the bed and taking the spoon from the table. As she blew on the soup to make it less hot, Kageyama was staring out the window, looking pissed. He remembered this place. He remembered it well. Down there, he could see the same restaurant he now despises greatly because of a certain event. He closed the curtains again, looking back at Hirari. The girl's fingers were weak and wobbly and she almost dropped the spoon due to drowsiness. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" He asked her. "Nope, I'm good." She said that, accidentally dropping the spoon on her lap.

"Being stubborn is not going to improve your condition." He went back near her and took out a towel from his bag. Hirari was actually surprised he brought a bag with him. He then wiped the mess off her lap and all Hirari could do was freeze. After that, he wiped the spoon clean and then he took a spoonful of soup. "Is it okay if you open your mouth?"

Kageyama asking permission for Hirari to open her mouth was funny _and_ awkward. It made her snort. Kageyama flinched, frustrated at her reaction.

When Hirari opened her mouth, he expected Kageyama to guide the spoon inside carefully. She completely forgot that this wasn't a shoujo manga. He _hastily shoved_ the spoon into her mouth, choking her. She reacted violently, flailing her arms and tears welling up in her eyes. "Are you okay?" Kageyama took the towel and his hand cupped Hirari's chin. A blank silence ensued.

Hirari just realized that Kageyama's hand was so big; it could smother her face if he wanted to. He wiped the messy soup off her mouth with his other hand. Hirari was still coughing. "What was that for?" She pounded her fist on her chest. Kageyama blushed, knowing that he messed up again. He covered his mouth, gritting his teeth and obviously annoyed at himself. "Hey, Kageyama, do you want to watch a movie while you're here?"

It was a good thing Hirari knew how to save the situation before it gets worse. Or maybe she makes the situation worse and she doesn't know it. They both went to the living room, sitting on the couch as Hirari clicked on the remote control. "There's this movie about volleyball here, I think." She told him switching the channels. They watched in complete silence. They didn't notice it but they were both clearly unfocused. He was looking at her at the corner of his eye every now and then and Hirari was doing the same. It was until they caught each other that they looked away immediately and stared hard at the TV screen.

After a while, Hirari stretched her arms and yawned. "Would you like some milk, Kageyama?" She asked him, standing up from her seat. "Yes. Thank you." He answered, finally taking in what's happening in the movie. He remembered that Hirari was the one sick and he was sent there by Mashumaro to take care of her while she was gone.

" _Kageyama! Please! Please take care of her for me just for today? My brother's friend's cousin's grandmother's coworker's boss's pet bird died! I really have to go!"_

"Wait, Hirari." He stood up and pulled her back to the coach. The girl's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He then placed her in front of the couch, put his hands on her shoulders and pushed them down so she could sit. "I'll get it. Where is it?" He insisted. Hirari pointed at the kitchen. The boy paused for two seconds before striding towards the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. He was a bit surprised to see that there was absolutely nothing but chocolates inside. His eyes darted to a carton of milk. Finding his target, he took it and sat next to Hirari again. They both forgot that milk can make people drowsy.

* * *

 _2 hours ago. 5:45pm_

After having a really disturbing dream, Hirari's eyes opened wide from her slumber. "I fell asleep?" She was about to move her head, but felt a huge weight on it. Her eyes looked around and saw the milk carton, dangling from Kageyama's hand before completely falling on the floor, spilling the small amount of liquid left inside. It took her a while to realize that Kageyama's head was on her's and he also fell asleep. The weird thing was… their hands were intertwined.

She couldn't move. She didn't want to disturb his peaceful nap. Until she remembered the most important thing that might be the very reason of hers and Kageyama's death. "CRAP! MY PARENTS WILL BE HOME SOON!"

* * *

 _Now. 7:04pm_

"Hirari… why didn't you clean up the spilled milk? You are so messy, no boys will fall in love with you if you're like that!" Her mother scolded, wiping off the mess from the floor. Hirari looked at Mashumaro, a deadly glare on her face. The brunette was smiling happily at her.

It was then that Hirari's dad came into the room. "I have news." He told them. "We're not going back to Miyagi yet."

* * *

 _1 hour later. 8:14pm_

"Hey, King."

Kageyama thought a brick left a dent on his head upon hearing the one voice he hated the most. He looked behind him to see Tsukishima. The blonde did _not_ look happy. "Tell me the details."


	17. Chapter 17 Laundry Day

"You mean to say… you were alone with Ishikawa for four hours and you didn't give her the necklace?" Hinata was in front of Kageyama, walking backwards. Ubugawa High requested a practice match, so the volleyball club didn't go back to Miyagi as scheduled. Because the boys really didn't know how to properly do laundry on their own, the managers were busy for the day. Of course, the boys _have_ to wash their own underwear. Daichi didn't want to see Yachi nose-bleeding while washing clothes. Ukai and Takeda promised to treat them to ice cream later for being such hard-working managers. As for Kageyama, he was now being bugged by his ginger friend, complaining as to why Kageyama did not give the necklace to the sick girl. "Calm down! It's not like I'd actually remember it that time!"

They reached the first-years' room and found both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima inside, folding the few clean spare clothes they brought. "So what _did_ you accomplish, Kageyama?" Hinata was already being too fired up, he almost sounded like a gossiper. "I called her by her first name, but I don't know if she noticed it." The King of the Court crossed his arms over his chest, nodding to himself proudly.

"Pff- You call _that_ an accomplishment?" Tsukishima smugly interfered, with a laughing Yamaguchi behind him. "Eh, Tsukishima? You haven't really accomplished anything yet, too." Hinata raised an eyebrow at the blonde, judging him indirectly. Tsukishima looked down at Hinata threateningly. "Why would I make an effort for something that'll disappear quickly? Don't be an idiot. Pathetic."

The three first-years watched Tsukishima leave the room with his hand in his pockets, still without a care in the world. "I don't think he meant what he said, though." Yamaguchi looked down at his feet and sighed.

* * *

Tsukishima didn't want anyone else washing his clothes except for his mother and himself. He was always the type to do things by himself instead of relying on others to fix his own problem for him. He put all his dirty clothes in his bag and set off to find a self-service laundry or coin laundry place in Tokyo. In such a big city, he was knowledgeable enough to know that there was such a place just around the corner, knowing the fact that the indoor gym can be sighted from the city streets.

His logic was correct, remembering a coin laundry place he and Kageyama passed by the other day. He found the coin laundry place after a while. He went in, deciding to finish up before the day ends. Ukai allowed the boys to take a break from practice because he thought it was an emergency if the boys didn't have anything to wear for their extended trip.

He dumped all of his clothes in the washer, relieved that there weren't much people inside the place. The coin laundry place was organized and he didn't have to put in detergent since the detergent is already included in the wash cycle. Then again, Tsukishima still decided to put in the laundry detergent he just bought from the store on the way, knowing that his clothes must be stinking with sweat due to everyday volleyball practice. When he finally put all of his clothes inside the washer, he inserted his money in the slot and the water started flowing. Tsukishima wasn't really a heavy spender. He was thankful his mom gave him enough money in case of emergencies like this.

Now all he had to do was wait.

How he hated waiting.

He just stood there in front of the washer, thinking about what to do besides staring at the washer. A loud crash happened to disturb his thoughts followed with a loud "gah" and thud.

His shoulders tensed up, annoyed at the clumsiness of whoever made that noise. He looked at the other washer behind him and saw a girl, a pile of clothes covering her face. The girl was literally upside down, her legs leaning on the washer and pointing towards the ceiling. Her upper body was flat on the ground. Clothes were surrounding her and a basket was upside down, covering her whole head. It was none of his business, really.

It really _was_ none of his business but he still walked toward the poor figure and bent his body to pick up the basket and remove it from her head. He placed the basket on the floor just beside her body. He looked down at her, observing her every movement. The girl's hand took off the clothes from her face one by one. When she was finally able to see, she blinked her eyes and turned her head further up to see an upside-down Tsukishima staring down at her. "Ah! You!" She belted out, but she was unable to move due to her painful fall and position. She was still looking at him with wide, curious eyes and with an apologetic expression, smiling.

"You're so annoying." Tsukishima sighed, bending down and placing his hands by the sides of her shoulders. The certain girl hugged the clothes tightly to her chest, refusing to breathe. Tsukishima stepped back slowly, gently pulling the girl up by tightening his grip until she was sitting upright and her legs were finally on the ground. "Don't tell me you're not going to say 'thank you' again? How rude." He said right after. "F-Fine! Thank you!" Mashumaro huffed, gathering all the clothes from the floor and throwing them into the washer even though she was still on the floor. "It hurts." Tsukishima heard her say, her hands making their way to her head and back.

The blonde's tongue clicked, irritated at the clumsy girl in front of him. Without any warning, he stepped in front of her and grabbed both her arms, pulling her up. Mashumaro was just staring at him with her mouth agape. "H-Hey! Why are you so nice today?" She accused. Tsukishima's hands were back in his pockets. He smirked at her, making her even more suspicious of his actions. "So you prefer me _not_ being nice, then?" He asked her. "N-No! But… you're weird!" She told him. Tsukishima didn't say anything again. He was just looking at her, his eyes narrowing.

"W-What?" She asked. "You're on the way. Do you even realize how narrow this aisle is?" He looked around, wondering why such a convenient place was small. Mashumaro pouted. Inserting money into the washer, she marched her way out of the aisle, Tsukishima walking behind. Mashumaro didn't expect to get into trouble, especially when she crossed paths with a man who was smoking a cigarette. The staffs were already shouting at the man that smoking wasn't allowed inside, but he refused to listen. Mashumaro accidentally bumped into the man, unfortunately, making the cigarette fall from his lips.

"Ah, I'm sor—"

"Hey, you pipsqueak! Watch where you're going! Look at what you've done! You owe me a cigarette stick!"

The man's eyes were even worse than Kageyama's glare. Mashumaro bit her lip, offended and intimidated at the same time. She was about to bow down to apologize when a hand grabbed the back of her collar from behind, preventing her from bowing down. "Hey, don't apologize." She was surprised at how _close_ Tsukishima's voice was and why his breath was tickling the back of her neck, even though he was supposedly taller than her. She bit her lip and stood rooted on the spot. "WELL?" The man demanded, obviously not paying attention to Tsukishima. It was then when Tsukishima stood up straight that the man finally noticed a _giant_ wall in front of him.

" **Get out of the way."**

Mashumaro let out a tiny and subtle squeak upon hearing the venomous voice. Before they knew it, the man already ran out of the place, much to the staff's delight. Mashumaro didn't dare look behind her, not wanting to end up like the man. Tsukishima let go of Mashumaro's shirt, a signal for her to continue walking. Without saying another word, they reached the counter. "Thank you." It barely left Mashumaro's mouth since she suddenly started laughing after saying it, but Tsukishima still heard it, anyway. "For?" He asked. Mashumaro wanted to tell him not to be humble about what he did, but she decided otherwise. "For stopping me."

Tsukishima dragged his hand out of his pocket and placed it on Mashumaro's back, pushing her further to the exit. "You're a girl. It's not your job to handle those kinds of things." Tsukishima reservedly answered, leading her out of the place. For some reason, she didn't complain. It was because deep inside her, she felt safe when she was with him.

She barely knew him, but she was safe when she was with him.

They ended up walking along the streets, finding something to do before they go back to pick up their clothes. Tsukishima's hand moved from her back to her shoulder, motioning her to stop walking, since she was in front of him. She looked behind her and saw the blonde looking back at her, irritated. "Didn't you see the stoplight?" He asked, a bit spiteful. Mashumaro looked back in front of her and noticed that the cars were still moving. "Oh." She muttered. And then she laughed. Tsukishima was starting to think of all the reasons why she would laugh at her _own_ idiocy and air-headedness. When the cars stopped, Tsukishima's hand was no longer anywhere on her. He shoved it back into his pocket as they crossed the street. Shortly after, Tsukishima stopped walking, his eyes moved to look at the newly-opened café at the corner of the street. He had never seen this café when they first went to Tokyo before. "Hey, short stuff." He called.

Mashumaro cringed at the new nickname. Turning her head robotically back at him, he gestured for them to enter the café. It's not like Mashumaro had a choice. She had no idea where they were now, anyway. The girl had a hopeless sense of direction and had gotten lost countless times in Tokyo for goofing off without Hirari.

"Go sit anywhere you want." Tsukishima coldly told her as they approached the counter. "Um… you're going to eat?" Mashumaro asked, earning a look of 'don't-be-stupid' from the blonde. "Would I approach the counter if I wasn't, eh, short stuff?" He told her. The girl hissed, wondering why she was taking orders from a jerk like him. She stomped towards an empty table and tapped her fingers on it impatiently. Her other elbow was on the table while her chin rested on her hand. It didn't take long before a tray was placed on the table with two slices of strawberry shortcake on it. With a bewildered look on her face, she asked. "You're going to eat _both_?"

The boy's right eye twitched. "Do I look like someone who eats twice as my body needs?" He asked her, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Instead of talking back, she laughed at his face. Again, the laugh bothered Tsukishima. He really didn't know why she was laughing at every little thing. He pushed the other plate in front of her and silently ate his own. Mashumaro looked really giddy and excited to taste the cake. He watched her subtly as she _smiled_ while eating. How can someone smile while eating without being self-conscious? The funny part was, she was able to stuff large pieces inside her mouth. Tsukishima chuckled quietly at the sight.

While they were in the midst of their eating, a fight broke out inside the café. Both of them watched as a woman angrily marched into the café and made her way towards a couple on another table. "I knew it! You were cheating on me!" The woman yelled so loud, all the customers were distracted from their peaceful meal. It didn't take long until the cheating man and his wife were throwing harsh words at each other.

Mashumaro was too absorbed in the scene; she didn't notice Tsukishima standing up from his seat and went behind her. She felt a soft cushion cover her ears and heard music instead of the commotion in the restaurant. Tsukishima sat back on his seat, which was when Mashumaro realized that his headphones were no longer on his shoulders. Tsukishima continued on his meal as if nothing was happening.

After eating, they walked back to where they came from, satisfied with their day. Mashumaro handed Tsukishima's headphones back to him and the blonde coolly placed it back around his neck. "Here you go, short stuff." He balanced something on Mashumaro's shoulder. The girl looked at her side before taking what seemed to be a packed hamburger. "Saw it on your wallpaper before." Tsukishima said, before she even asked anything. Mashumaro's cheeks heated up upon the mention of their embarrassing first meeting and she was glad Tsukishima was behind her this time.

They took their clothes out of the washer and readied to place them in a dryer. Just when Mashumaro thought that height was not needed to wash clothes, the dryer was connected on top of the washer. She was about to tiptoe when Tsukishima took her basket from her arms and placed everything inside the basket into the dryer. "Why are you helping me?" She asked again. Tsukishima, although he was getting really annoyed at her weird rhetorical questions, still answered. "It's not your fault this place decided to connect the two machines."

When they were both done inserting money to start the machine, Mashumaro bravely decided to ask, a blush still on her cheeks. "Weren't you angry when you saw that wallpaper?" She asked him out of curiosity. Tsukishima looked at her with no signs of nervousness or anger whatsoever. "Was it supposed to make me angry?" He asked her back. She tilted her head at his question.

"But—"

"I made the same thing _my_ wallpaper. Now am I embarrassed about it? I'm not, am I? Someone made an effort to make a picture of _me_ and _you_ , now," He paused. "Is that something to be embarrassed about?"

Mashumaro didn't ask another question that day after seeing Tsukishima's cellphone screen.


	18. Chapter 18 A Short Horror Story

"You know what? We're doomed for life." A certain redhead slumped back on the back seat of a van. She made her voice soft and feathery, trying to prevent her brother to hear their conversation. She looked at the driver's seat and saw her brother concentrating on the road. They were going back to Miyagi because of an emergency and there's one more thing. That emergency was related to the two other boys sitting inside the van with them.

Mashumaro looked at Hirari, confused. The redhead had 'doom' written all over her face as she stared hard outside the window, doing her best to ignore the situation. Mashumaro then peeked behind her to see the Nekoma boys Hirari's brother decided to bring along. "What were their names again?" Mashumaro asked, her voice so quiet; Hirari could hardly hear anything. "Tetsuro Kuroo. The guy I was talking about before. The pudding-haired blonde one is Kozume Kenma. My brother used to be an assistant coach in the Nekoma High volleyball team as a part-time activity." The redhead was panting in between words. It was definitely hard to speak in a really heavy atmosphere, especially if they were whispering. Mashumaro looked behind again, and was surprised to see Kenma looking back at her. _Crap, he noticed._

"They have… odd hair. The Kuroo guy's hair looks like the one from the anime, Dragon Ball. And then the Kenma guy's hair is like an ombre banan—"

"We can hear you, you know."

Kuroo's voice made the girls flinch. Hirari lightly punched Mashumaro's shoulder for talking too loud. They felt a chill on their spines and it was because the master of provocation that is Tetsuro Kuroo is staring at them from behind with a Cheshire grin painted on his face. On the other hand, Kozume returned to playing with his handheld game console. "Hirari, don't be rude." The driver, Hirari's brother, suddenly scolded her. Her eyes widened, wondering why _she_ was the one getting scolded when it was Mashumaro who decided to _loudly_ judge their visitors' appearances. "You girls are going to take them to the Aoba Johsai gym. They wanted to see a top team in the prefecture so I decided to take them along. You _will_ go with them, Hirari." Her brother emphasized on his decision, pissing off Hirari. "Hmp." The redhead could only snap back.

Mashumaro was _still_ confused.

* * *

With Hirari's brother's reckless driving, it didn't take long for them to reach the school. "I'll be picking those boys up in the afternoon. Don't do anything stupid, Hirari." Her brother eyed her. The girl looked away, still pissed. "Okay. See you, sir!" Kuroo waved at him as he drove off. Kozume didn't do anything. Mashumaro was singing a nursery rhyme around the corner.

 _Chirp. Chirp. Awkward. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp._

"So…" Kuroo was the first to talk. The girls immediately 'chirped' when he did. "… Did they just copy the cricket's chirps?" Kozume mumbled to himself, although he did not make them hear it. Hirari had never been so irritated in a long time. Her brother was scolding her for _no apparent reason_ and she was forced to babysit two random guys her brother picked up from Tokyo.

"Stupid jerk, forcing me to do stuff again… if Mom hears about this, I'm so gonna…" She was already walking away while ranting, forgetting about what she was supposed to be doing. Mashumaro absentmindedly followed her friend although she didn't know what they were even _supposed_ to be doing. It was then until someone cleared his throat _noisily_ behind them that they stopped on their tracks. "You don't want your brother finding out about you abandoning us here, eh, little girls?"

That was it. _Fume._

Both girls turned around with the same looks of destruction on their faces. Hirari was _fuming red_ with anger while Mashumaro looked like she was about to spit lightning at him. Kuroo was smirking at them, successfully provoking them. "Just follow us if you want to reach that damned Oikawa's team!" It was a rare event for Hirari to actually be angry. It kind of felt like Kageyama's personality was influencing her. Mashumaro was annoyed for being called a 'little girl'. She wanted to tell Kuroo _every_ struggle she had experienced because of her height and all the things she couldn't do just so he'd shut up. Meanwhile, Kozume was still quietly watching them.

After the infuriating conversation, Hirari stomped towards the path where the gym is. "I take back what I said before." Hirari told Mashumaro. The other girl's anger subsided as soon as Hirari started another conversation. "What _did_ you say before?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the path even though she didn't even know where the gym was. "Kuroo Tetsuro is not attractive. That's my final decision." The redhead sounded like she was grinding her teeth while talking, but in Mashumaro's eyes, she was a bunny trying to bare its fangs even when it has none. It made Mashumaro laughed, causing Hirari to look at her with a 'did-I-say-something-funny' look.

"Oh, the little redhead thought I was attractive? Yaaay." Kuroo's annoying voice was _so_ close and clear that the two girls turned their heads and found out that he was already just right behind them. Mashumaro was dumbfounded. How did he get there without the girls hearing their footsteps? On the other hand, Hirari looked like she was going to strangle someone, since her fingers were already trembling as if she was just trying to control them. "Oikawa's more attractive than _you_." Hirari said at the exact time Mashumaro returned her gaze at the gym just a few meters in front of them. "… Oh." Mashumaro reacted.

When Hirari heard Mashumaro's strange reaction, the angry ginger looked at whatever the brunette was looking at and found Oikawa standing there with an _extremely_ pleased smile. "Ah, that's so flattering coming from someone who used to hate me." The Seijo captain was drooling over the indirect compliment. _"Great. Just great."_ Hirari thought. Now she had two exceedingly bothersome team captains to deal with. She stepped aside and let the captains discuss their business. "Mashumaro, let's go." She said, turning on her heels. "Oi, you're going to leave me here? You sure you don't want your brother knowing?" Kuroo just had to ruin her mood further. Hirari immediately snapped her head at the two captains again before indignantly marching into the gym, complaining about how stupid her brother was.

Meanwhile, Mashumaro was just standing there, thinking of what to do. She looked around and saw Kozume following Kuroo from behind. An idea popped in her head. Grabbing the boy's arm, she turned him around to face her. "Hi!" She greeted. He didn't look intimidating or scary to her, which is why she was able to be confident in talking to him.

The boy blinked a few times, thinking of the reasons why the girl suddenly talked to him. "H-Hi." He nodded, bothered by her beaming smile. "That seems like a nice game. Do you want me to show you around? I'm pretty sure there's no one in the Home Economics room today. I'm looking for someplace quiet, too." Mashumaro explained, still beaming with happiness. Kozume wondered why her anger subsided so easily. He hesitated, now wanting to interact with such an energetic person. "I'm an introvert, too. You seem like one. I'm just not as quiet as you are."

When he heard the word 'introvert', he became a little curious as to what kind of activity the girl indulges in when she is alone. He also noticed that the girl didn't really talk much earlier while Hirari and Kuroo were putting pressure on each other. "The world is noisy, isn't it?" She said before making her way towards the school building. Even though Kozume really didn't want to get involved, he ended up following her without protest, anyway.

They walked in silence. It wasn't even an awkward silence; they were both really comfortable that way. The only times when Mashumaro talked was when she was pointing at each important room in the building, introducing them to Kozume before they finally reached the Home Economics room. "This school doesn't focus much on cooking classes so there are usually no students here." Turns out, the girl was right. The lights were off when they went inside. Mashumaro knew that students are forbidden to enter classrooms without authorized consent during summer before classes start but she chose not to tell Kozume. The girl had her own set of rules.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the school, a girl has been provoked to play volleyball.

Hirari was in a receiving posture, awaiting a killer serve from Oikawa. "I'll make it gentle so you could receive it easily!" The Seijo captain cried out. Kuroo was near the net. He was in a blocking position. "Stupid marshmallow, dragging Kozume somewhere without telling us… now I'm stuck taking his place as a team member." She was ranting quietly, wanting to murder the next person who talks to her. Oikawa started running as he tossed the ball up. Hirari braced herself.

On the other hand, the other girl was leaning super close to Kozume's game console, the boy wanted to go away. He doesn't like being approximately close to someone he had just met. Though she claimed she was an introvert, it seems she could get carried away at times like these. "Oooooh, that monster is scary!" She said, while laughing. Kozume forgot to mention that he was playing a horror game and a face might pop out on the screen at random times. Mashumaro also forgot to mention that she was seriously afraid of horror games. She almost fainted while playing one before.

It was not long before Mashumaro heard the door creak open. Before she could react, a horrifying face suddenly appeared on Kozume's game screen. "GAAAAAAAH!" An ear-piercing scream was heard. Out of panic, Mashumaro jumped up and came face to face with the person who entered. She accidentally bumped into the person, hitting a stove's knob in the process. Before they knew it, a large fire burst from the stove, triggering the smoke detection system, making the sprinklers shower water all over the place. Mashumaro was panting on the floor, all wet and tired from the fast events. She looked around to find Kozume, but the Tokyo boy already hid somewhere, not wanting his game console to get destroyed by the water. She looked up, only to find her Home Economics teacher, all wet and staring at her with furrowed eyebrows and arms crossed against her chest. "You're in a lot of trouble, young lady."

* * *

Hirari was glaring at her arms. They were already filled with a few bruises and red spots. "Can't be helped. T'was her first time playing." Kuroo still had that stupid smirk on his face. "You idiot, Oikawa! Look at what you've done!" Iwaizumi scolded, hitting Oikawa on the face with a ball. Hirari clenched her fists.

" **Annoying."**

She growled, feeling unpleasant after all the events that happened on the day they went back to Miyagi. She blamed her brother for _everything_. Oh, how she wanted to rub a volleyball on her brother's face. "Oh, good aft—" Before the person could finish his sentence, she had already shoved a ball to the person's face. "DON'T TALK TO ME, YOU BASTARD OF A BROTHER!"

The ball bounced on the floor with a thud. Hirari's face was horror-stricken when she realized she had just violently broken the Dean's nose.

"Oops." Kuroo said. "Looks like I won't be telling this to her brother."

* * *

The principal did nothing but smile at them. Both girls looked at each other as if they were saying _"Bruh, what did you do?"_

"So… the Home Economics teacher _and_ the dean reported to me… do you know what you did, ladies?" The principal stood up from his seat. The girls felt a bolt of electricity run through their spinal columns. "As you both know, this is a private school."

Nope. They completely forgot that it was a private school. _Chirp. Chirp._

"Not only did you two sneak in outsiders from another school in Tokyo," Hirari blamed her brother for forcing her to. Even Kuroo and Kozume didn't know it was against the rules. "But you also made a stove almost blow up, triggered the fire alarms, putting the other students in a state of panic upon hearing the alarms, cursed at the Dean, before finally shoving a ball to his face and breaking his nose." The principal's disturbingly _nice_ smile as on his face. "I'm going to have to suspend you… expulsion will ruin the image of Aoba Johsai."

The girls finally breathed. They didn't realize they were able to hold their breaths for two minutes.

"However, our image is already ruined since those two outsiders saw what you girls did."

 _Gulp._ They stopped breathing again.

"So I'm going to give you girls a chance. Go transfer schools and start a new life or carry a record of long suspension? Choose."

Hirari looked at Mashumaro once more. "You know what? We're doomed for life."


	19. Chapter 19 Black Cat's Luck

Before you continue with this chapter, the author wants you to guess what the girls' parents' decisions were. Of course, it happened just right after Hirari's brother scolded her.

* * *

Hirari was fidgeting by the door. "Because of that incident, we weren't allowed to be on the same class. Everything sucks." She glanced at Mashumaro, who was just standing on the room beside hers. She still blames her brother. Just when summer vacation was coming to an end and summer classes were starting, she cursed at herself for doing something so stupid and letting anger control over her. "Hirari." Mashumaro called her, while waiting for the teacher inside to silence the students in the classroom. "Yes?" Hirari was already shaking. The teacher was about to finish his introduction. "Class, I would like to introduce a new student." Hirari's new homeroom teacher said.

"Yellow or red?"

"Um… uh… Red!"

Then they both entered their respective classrooms.

* * *

Everyone was gawking at the new girl. "So simple and cute!" She heard one say. "She's so smart, too! She got into this college prep class even though she just transferred!" Another said. "Look! She's frozen on the spot! Don't scare her!" And another. "Alright, class, settle down! Now, will you please introduce yourself?"

She opened her mouth but no voice came out. She knew _nobody_ in the classroom. That was until she saw a familiar face. Gasping, she ended up pointing at that someone, forgetting to introduce herself. "Yachi! You're Yachi Hitoka! The manager of the boys' volleyball club!" She exclaimed. Everyone turned their heads to Yachi, who was already panicking. "A-A-Ah, yes!" The blonde stood up all of the sudden and bowed down, accidentally hitting her head on the desk. She wanted to disappear right there and then, crying over what just happened.

The class looked back at the new student. "Um, yes. We know Yachi… it's _you_ who needs to introduce herself." The male teacher cleared his throat. The whole class laughed. She had never felt so embarrassed in her life. The level of embarrassment in this episode was so strong, she completely forgot about her previous humiliations. "I-I'm Ishikawa! Ishikawa Hirari!" She quickly bowed her head down before walking amongst the chairs. "…Ishikawa." The teacher called out again.

Hirari spun on her heels and stood like a soldier, bowing down repeatedly to the teacher. "… Where are you going? I haven't told you where to sit yet."

She hates her brother forever now. And yes, she still blames him.

* * *

 _Shit._

She couldn't look at anyone nor here what the teacher was saying.

 _Shit._

She wanted to run away, but she didn't want to get forced by the principal to leave again. Worse, expelled completely from all schools.

 _Shit._

"This girl is a smart one, so she got into a college prep class due to her entrance exam scores. Alright, so will you tell us your name?"

 _Shit._

She didn't look at anyone. She just looked down at her hands, which were clasped together down in front of her, her shoulders tense. Her ears were hot, she swore they were about to bleed. Unlike Hirari, who was completely frozen when she entered the room, this girl was shaking. Oh, how she hated introductions.

Yellow meant good luck.

Red was _bad luck_.

"Um… Your name?" The female teacher asked again. "She's so nervous, it's adorable." She heard a guy say. "Yeah, wonder what her name is. She looks pretty." Even though she could hear them, she still refused to look up. _"What was my name again? I FORGOT MY NAME!"_ She inwardly screamed. Hiding her face in her bangs, she finally opened her quivering mouth. "Ka…" She said. "Ka?" The teacher repeated. "Kaji…"

The whole class went silent, because they couldn't hear what she was saying. "Kaji… Mashumaro…" A few girls in the room squealed softly upon hearing her cute name. "…desu."

"Okay, Kaji… Um… let's see… go sit there 2nd row to the right."

She didn't look up, refusing to make eye contact, not noticing a freckled boy and a blonde staring at her.

* * *

The bell finally rang. Hirari dashed outside as fast as she can, avoiding everyone's gazes. She almost stumbled when she ran to the next room. She halted her run when she realized that a bunch of female students were blocking to entrance to Class 4. She was left in wonder as she went near the students, overhearing their conversation. "Let's go! It's not like Tsukishima Kei is going to be mean!"

Her mouth went wide open when she heard 'Tsukishima Kei'. She realized her friend just had the worst luck in life. "Come on! He loves strawberry shortcake. Just give it to him and go!" The other girl pushed her friend. The three girls went inside the room with Hirari tailing from behind. She peeked into the room and found Mashumaro on her seat, her head on the desk. The brunette has given up on life. "Marshmallow!" Her voice caught the attention of Yamaguchi who was preparing a table to place beside Tsukishima. They weren't naturally beside each other by seat plan, so they could only talk during lunch time. "Ishikawa? You transferred, too?" Yamaguchi asked her from afar.

When Hirari took notice of Yamaguchi, the group of girls blocked her view and they were unable to continue their conversation.

"Um…Tsukishima… kun." A pretty girl was trembling. She looked so nice and cute that Yamaguchi stared at her with a blush. "He's so cool." The girl beside her squealed gently. Tsukishima looked up at whoever interrupted his peaceful gaze outside the window, but he didn't look surprised at all. He may not admit it to anyone, but he's used to these events. He can't remember how many strawberry shortcakes he received from random girls since he came to this school. "I-I baked this!" The pretty girl handed over the box, bowing her head down. She was really nervous.

At the same time, Mashumaro just happened to raise her head to look at whoever announced her weird nickname to the whole class. Unfortunately, Hirari wasn't in front anymore. She moved to where Yamaguchi was, which was at the back of the room, and helped him carry a desk to where Tsukishima's desk was located so they could eat lunch in _peace_ and not with fangirls squealing all over, taking turns in brushing their fingers against Tsukishima's hands subtly as he receives their gifts. Mashumaro turned her head, her sleepiness immediately disappearing when she saw who sat on a seat two desks behind her. "T-Tsu…" She didn't even realize he was in _this_ class. She couldn't finish his name because she was distracted by the girl giving him a gift. He moved his head sideward, pondering if he could finish his lunch _and_ the cake within their allotted lunch time. Tsukishima was never a heavy eater.

For some reason, Mashumaro aggressively stood up, the sound of her chair screeching against the wood, ruining the 'flutter-flutter-omg-my-crush-is-in-front-of-me-help' mood of the three girls. _Everyone_ turned to her direction, including Tsukishima, whose eyes widened for a bit at her reaction.

She blushed furiously. Failing to read the atmosphere again, she **tramped** towards Hirari, completely ignoring the fact that the pretty girl's extended arms were blocking her way, and…

… She simple _picked_ up the box from the girl's hands with her hand, moved the girl's arms upward with her other hand, went _under_ the girl's extended arms, and placed the box on the table behind Tsukishima where a different person was sitting.

The person sitting there, which was a girl, had a priceless reaction on her face when a random box of cake appeared on her desk.

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, his eyes still wide; his mouth slowly curving. That was amusing.

"Why did you pick 'red'!? I'm so scared of people, they were staring at me earlier! I wanna go home! Let's go home and shut ourselves from the world!" In the blink of an eye, Mashumaro was on the ground, tugging at Hirari's skirt. "M-My skirt's gonna fall, stop that! Marshmallow!" Hirari tried to keep her balance, but failed. She fell backwards, grabbing Yamaguchi's hand by instinct until they were on the ground.

The door of the classroom opened again. "Hey, Tsukishima! I heard Kaji and Ishikawa transferred today and was—" It was Hinata. He stopped talking as soon as he saw the _unbelievably_ awkward and shoujo manga-like scene in front of him.

A pretty girl was rooted on the spot, tears welling up in her eyes. Her friends were glaring at Mashumaro. The brunette was hugging her knees and sulking on the floor. Tsukishima was chuckling in the background, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Yamaguchi and Hirari's position were, well…

"Oi, Hinata, what's taking so long?" Hirari's face paled when she heard the familiar voice. A raven-haired boy pushed Hinata aside to see for himself.

The look on Kageyama's face cannot be painted by descriptions when he saw Yamaguchi on top of Hirari.

* * *

"Hey, black cat."

Kuroo laughed at the nickname given to him by their half-Russian teammate. "Teach me how to block, come on! I'm ready wherever you are, Captain!" Lev was excitedly jumping around. "Where did 'black cat' come from?" Kuroo asked.

Lev didn't want to tell him that it was because Kuroo brings bad luck everywhere he goes.


	20. Chapter 20 Like

_Awkward._

"K-Kageyama! It's not what you think it is!" Yamaguchi jumped away from Hirari, fearfully expecting a burst of flames from Kageyama's head. Hinata's face darkened. The three girls approached Mashumaro, who was still in the floor, sulking. "Hey. How dare you do that?" One girl said. Mashumaro looked up and saw the three Tsukishima fans looming over her. Hirari stood up from the floor, dusting off the dirt from the incident, her mind still replaying the scenes over and over again to check if it wasn't a dream. She smacked her face after realizing it isn't. Kageyama still didn't react. No one dared to look at his face.

"Tch." Tsukishima stopped chuckling to himself, when he realized that Mashumaro really did do something idiotic. Although he found it adorable and a bit surprising, he knew she was in big trouble. He stood up, thinking about what to do without causing too much trouble and ending up at the principal's office. It was the girls' first day at Karasuno, and it _was_ a disaster. Much to his surprise, Mashumaro stood up and _laughed_. "I think I just did my friend, that tall guy you like, a favor. That giant wall of intimidation seems to like being with me more than being around his fans." She told them with a cheery smile, showing her phone wallpaper to them.

The best part? Mashumaro showed no signs of malicious intent, although she was half-teasing them. Still, deep inside, she knew she was right.

" _I made the same thing_ my _wallpaper. Now am I embarrassed about it? I'm not, am I? Someone made an effort to make a picture of_ me _and_ you _, now," He paused. "Is that something to be embarrassed about?"_

 _She didn't get what he said the first time until he handed his phone over to her. She nodded. "So… I guess it's okay."_

 _He turned his back on her, refusing to show his face. "If it's you, yes. I think it's okay. Now shut up. Stop asking questions."_

"What!? You cheeky transfer student! You have no right to say that! You don't have evidence!" The pretty girl turned out to have a nasty attitude. Mashumaro was too dense to counter. She obviously did not get what the girl was saying. She opened her mouth to apologize again, but she made eye contact with Tsukishima before she could.

" _Don't apologize."_

Tsukishima cleared his throat, catching the attention of everyone around him, including his classmates. "You see, she doesn't have evidence." He told the girls. "Excuse me, but I think I have the evidence you're looking for. Now if you would be so kind as to step aside so I could talk to _my_ friend, I'd be really grateful." Tsukishima, too, had a smile on his face, although it was probably made of pure mockery. Yamaguchi was watching everything in awe. Hinata nudged Kageyama on the arm, forgetting that the raven-haired boy was still slowly taking in what he saw when he went inside. "Tsukishima's progressing and the only thing you're doing is _standing_ 5 meters away from Ishikawa!" Hinata whispered. The girls ran out of the room, crying and almost bumping into a blank Kageyama. Now that the Mashumaro's problem as over, they were back to solving Yamaguchi's problem. How do they explain it to Kageyama?

"Hinata." It was the only thing that came out of Kageyama's mouth. Hinata, who thought he was going to take the toll of Kageyama's anger, shivered in fear. Hesitating to look at Kageyama, he answered. "Y-Yes?"

Kageyama's eyes were hidden in his bangs. No one can tell what he was thinking. It was until he spoke that the answer has been revealed. "What do you think of uniform skirts?"

 _Chirp. Chirp._

Hinata snorted, not because he wanted to laugh, but because he didn't know what else to answer. "Looks like our royal Highness's true colors are finally showing." Tsukishima went back to his seat, ignoring everything and everyone as if nothing happened. Mashumaro completely forgot what just happened, as usual. Yamaguchi and Hirari looked at each other, stunned. Hinata was the one freaking out the most. All this time, he thought he was hanging out with an innocent guy. Turns out, the guy is a per—

"Don't you think they're showing too much skin? Aren't they cold at all? Girls should wear longer skirts." An image flashed in Kageyama's mind of skirts as long a ball gowns. "W-What a Kageyama thing to say…" Hinata looked at him weirdly, although Kageyama _was_ serious about it. Hinata went closer to Kageyama, close enough to prevent anyone from hearing. "You've been looking at Ishikawa's skirt all this time?"

Without a word, Kageyama gripped Hinata's head.

Meanwhile, 5 meters away, Hirari and Yamaguchi were watching the two dorks shout at each other. "I wonder what Hinata said." Hirari's eyebrow slanted upward, worried and puzzled. "Trust me. You don't wanna know." Yamaguchi answered, trying his best not to spill anything. One more move and Kageyama will really kill him. They were still obviously not aware that Kageyama is without malice, no matter what the scene is. Unless volleyball is involved.

After seeing that scene, Kageyama's thoughts went _"… Oh, Yamaguchi's legs covered hers. That's good. Not much skin has shown."_ But nobody knew that. Although he really was surprised at first. He was. Really.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Yamaguchi urged Hirari, who only flinched at the suggestion. Her legs started to get wobbly once more. "H-Ha? I-I, well… he… why should I?" She asked, trying to think up of an excuse not to. It wasn't because she was avoiding Kageyama after forcing him to leave her dad's apartment in Tokyo, but because…

Everytime she's with Kageyama, she was starting to feel pain. A good kind of pain. "I'm sure he'll be happy to have you around." Yamaguchi encouraged once more. Hirari smiled. She never thought Yamaguchi was that nice. "I-I actually thought you were as mean as Tsukishima, since you were always with him and laughing at his snide remarks, but I guess I'm wrong." She didn't realize she said it out loud and covered her mouth as soon as the words escaped from her mouth. Yamaguchi laughed heartily, sheepishly putting his hand on his neck. Mashumaro went near the two simply because she was already feeling left out and the feeling sucks.

"Tsuki is not a mean guy. He's, well… just not that expressive, I guess." He explained. Mashumaro looked back and forth from Hirari to Yamaguchi with a pout on her face, wondering why they were ignoring her. "Oh, I see. He's kind of scary, though. But it's okay." Hirari watched as Kageyama and Hinata were now pushing each other like kids. Mashumaro was now doing random things behind them and was singing something weird to catch their attention. "I think he and Mashumaro would actually look good together, but I must be overthinking again."

When Hirari said that, Tsukishima's head snapped towards them, the notebook Mashumaro was balancing on her head fell down and she tumbled to the floor with a thud, and even Kageyama and Hinata stopped fighting, their eyes widening at her. "…Eh?" Hirari winced in surprise. Mashumaro tried to avoid the subject by laughing loudly, distracting everyone from another potential awkward event. "Kageyama! Hirari has not eaten lunch yet! Go take her somewhere and buy milk or something, okaaaaaay." She pushed Hirari to Kageyama, much to the other girl's protests. Hinata whispered to Kageyama one last time. "This is your chance, BaKageyama!" Then he pushed Kageyama outside the room, with Mashumaro and Hirari following behind. When they were finally out, the brunette slammed the door and sighed in exhaustion. "First day of school and I'm already this tired. What more if this goes on everyday? It would be nice if they just fall in love with each other and get it over with." She said. Yamaguchi's face stretched for a bit, but he shook it back to normal. Too late.

"Hey, I saw that." Mashumaro said. Tsukishima took out his lunch from his bag, realizing that he was wasting his time and energy. The girl from behind him was calling his name, thinking of returning the box of cake, but he shook his head. "I don't want it." He said. Yamaguchi was _finally_ able to carry a desk beside Tsukishima and they could finally eat in peace like they wanted to. "Don't just ignore me. I'm dense and I don't jump into conclusions, but… why does it seem like all of you are pushing Kageyama towards Hirari?"

Tsukishima didn't say a word. The guy was good in concealing. Yamaguchi refused to even look at the girl in the eye. To their dread, Mashumaro walked towards them, grabbed a chair, put her elbows on Tsukishima's desk, and rested her cheeks on her palms. At the sudden confident action, Tsukishima paused to look at her. She was usually stuttering and shy, but he thought that she'd be more comfortable around them by now. His chopsticks slipped from his fingers clumsily. "Ah, my hands are sweaty. Sorry." Yamaguchi could do nothing else but watch Tsukishima make an excuse out of making a fool out of himself when Mashumaro was so close to him. Why did school tables have to be so small?

"Does he like her back? Oh, wait. Look, there's a cricket on your shoulder. Oh, it jumped away." Mashumaro asked, with a random statement right after the question.

This time, even Yamaguchi looked at Mashumaro. "What do you mean by 'back'?" He asked, wondering if he heard that right. Tsukishima struggled to position the chopsticks on his hands. "You heard me once, you know. I'm not going to say it agai—Mpf!"

"Shut up and eat." Tsukishima dropped a piece of meat in her mouth.

Hirari couldn't bear it anymore. The feeling was only getting worse everyday. Little did she know, Kageyama was looking at her at the corner of his eye, worried. They reached the vending machine near the back of the school after what seemed to be an eternal walk. "You want milk or yogurt drink?" He asked her, placing a coin inside and clicking on a button corresponding to a carton of milk. Hirari looked down at her feet, pulling her skirt down with her hands. Kageyama bent down to pick the milk out of the vending machine. He remembered what Hinata said. He opened his mouth to let out a sigh, punching the milk carton with the straw.

" _Calm down. Just tell her."_

Kageyama had never really thought about situation or timing, except when it comes to volleyball. He didn't know that confessing now, during lunchtime, while he's drinking milk from a straw is as inappropriate as it sounds. He never thought about love or the mushy stuff. He never thought about fairytales or putting a letter inside lockers or waiting for your crush on the rooftop. "Ishi—"

"Call me Hirari!"

He turned to face her; the straw was back in his mouth. "… Hirari." He said. Hirari looked up at him, her fists clenched and her nails digging painfully into her palms. "Say it again." She asked, gathering the little courage she has left. Kageyama stopped drinking the milk, a questioning look on his serious and calm face. "My name, Tobio. Say it again."

Kageyama was even more surprised when she actually called him by his first name, too. "H-Hirari." His hand unconsciously made its way to his face, covering his blush. "That's right. I'm Hirari. The girl you dropped a delivery for a long time ago." She told him with a regretful smile on her face. "Up until now, it's sad. Because up until now, that's the _only_ description you have about me."

She thought it wasn't something more. She thought it was just that. She thought she was just that girl. She was just Ishikawa Hirari. A mere customer.

"D-Don't get me wrong! I'm not going to make this situation like the ones in shoujo mangas! It's just…" She bit her lip, feeling the pain once more. "It's not the kind of pain where my heart feels like it's going to crash against my brain soon. It's not the kind of pain where I'd lose my focus on everything." She paused. "Being _just_ that girl, well, it's the kind of pain I feel when the tips of my fingers start throbbing when I think about you. It's the kind of pain where I toss and turn on my bed every night as if I was lying down on a bed of roses and thorns. It's the kind of pain where the wind blows by my face, and it feels like needles pricking." She said. Kageyama was still unable to move. _"Say it. Say it, dammit."_ He was commanding himself to, but he couldn't.

Hirari suddenly laughed. "A-Ah, forget what I said! I left my lunch in my classroom, so I have to go. See you tomorrow, Kageyama!" She went back to calling him by his last name. Kageyama raised his hand to ask her to 'wait', but she was already running back into the school. He had never felt so angry. Not at anyone. Not even at Hinata. But at himself.

As soon she was out of sight, Kageyama's hand loosened on the milk carton and dropped it on the ground.

His teeth grinded against each other. His head was down. His eyes narrowed, not out of madness, but because of frustration.

"Wait. I like you, dammit."


	21. Chapter 21 Deja Vu

**Sorry if the fic went by so fast. I'm having trouble keeping up with time and I might not even be able to continue it once classes start so I thought of many possible plots that could end it in a way that it won't look rushed. I tried huhuhuhuhu ;...;**

 **Sem break is almost over. I can feel the pressure already.**

* * *

She had never before felt so nervous in entering her own classroom. It was just the second day of school, yet she felt like an eternity just passed by. She knew that she forgot to thank him again, for defending her yesterday from girls she didn't know she offended, thanks to her rare talent of always ruining the atmosphere.

Waking up this morning proved to be a struggle to her. She pressed the snooze button for about four times, bolted upright for the fifth time after she realized she only had fifteen minutes left, took a quick shower, didn't bother to comb her hair and left the house without eating anything. Karasuno was definitely farther from Aoba Johsai.

And now she stood there in front of her classroom door with a dry throat and a wildly beating heart. "Okay… okay… Maro… Just say 'good morning'. That's it." Her mind wandered to a boy she had just met because of her own air-headedness. Her hand shook as it rested on the doorknob, feeling the piercing cold steel in her palm. She turned the doorknob, mustering up her courage, and went inside. "Good… um…" Okay. She failed. Her eyes darted to the blonde boy, headphones on his ears, writing on his notebook. He was studying, as usual. She knew that the boy has the ability to focus deep into where he is. If he is in the classroom, he studies and gets excellent grades. If he is in the gym, he is a formidable middle blocker of the volleyball club.

And she doesn't know it but he likes her. Very much.

And it was because of him that she tried removing her anxiety, but it was harder than she thought. What his presence ended up doing was make her anxiety worse. "Good morning, Kaji!" Yamaguchi exclaimed happily as she went to her seat. She nodded in return and gave the freckled pinch server a small smile. Tsukishima finally noticed her when she sat down, seeing as there was only one row between them and they sat on the same column of chairs. She blew her bangs up, knowing that it is Friday today and since she was temporarily banned from joining a club because of what she previously did in her last school, she had no excuse to go to school on a Saturday. She felt so downhearted at the failure. "Tch. Not even a 'thank you' or 'good morning'…" She said to herself, copying the tone of his voice.

Tsukishima's eyes were either catching glimpses of her back or concentrating on a Math problem he has been trying to solve since last night. He knew the great difference between the answer to number 9 and the answer to number 11. He also knew the great difference between Kageyama with Hirari and himself with Mashumaro. The former was an awkward, failed shoujo manga, and childish type of 'like'. They were like a parody of a romantic movie, all because Kageyama doesn't know what to do and when to do it. But he knew that Kageyama has great potential and that Hirari loves the subtle things no matter how awkward it is.

As for the latter, it was more like a quiet, everyday life sort of 'thing'. Tsukishima doesn't express much, and he knew it himself. He was okay with serenity. He was okay when they barely talk. He was okay with a few moments of eye contact, watching her from afar, and the way her eyes formed wrinkles on their sides when she laughed. He was okay with watching her tiptoe to reach the higher shelves before he comes up behind her and easily gets whatever she was trying to reach, raising it up high so she'd get annoyed and pout. He had also made it a habit to listen to love songs with his headphones while staring at her from his seat. "Annoying." He whispered.

Someone entered the room. For some reason, Hinata and Kageyama were back. They marched towards Tsukishima, dragging Yamaguchi along with them as they passed by his seat. "He couldn't confess yesterday." Hinata sighed, disappointment written all over his face. "Unless you want her friend to find out first, I suggest you calm down and keep your voice quiet." Tsukishima answered, spinning his pencil between his fingers until the tip was pointing towards where Mashumaro was sitting. The four boys looked at the girl. Thank goodness, she seemed to be thinking about something serious, as she didn't even notice Hinata and Kageyama entering the classroom. "Why didn't you, Kageyama?" Yamaguchi asked, out of concern. Remembering what happened yesterday made Kageyama's heart ache badly.

Kageyama never really thought about anything besides volleyball. It was when he went to Karasuno that he started feeling all sorts of emotions spinning inside him, but he only knew how to express three things – happiness from winning, anger from losing, and frustration for lacking. The other emotions were holed inside him, waiting to burst out like fireworks. Yes, that's what he sees when he's with Hirari. It is not just a spark. They were fireworks. He had never seen such a sight. Volleyball was his world, but Hirari was his home. And although it's a cliché phrase, there is no place like home. When did it start? He can't remember. Probably when he went out to find her after she run away. Probably when he accidentally filled her plate with food or the time when he went to take care of her while she was sick. No, he already liked her at that time.

It was probably when he was eager to tame a cat, so he'd know how to tame a girl's heart.

But it can also be from that time when he bandaged her hand because she didn't know how.

Kageyama looked down, biting his lip to prevent himself from screaming. "I wanted to tell her."

Since the boys didn't know what to do to help Kageyama, a crazy idea from Hinata urged them to ask Mashumaro for help. But then again, the girl was oblivious to her surroundings; she might end up accidentally blurting it out to Hirari without remembering that it should be Kageyama doing it. Hinata and Kageyama went back to their classrooms, trying to focus on thinking about after-school activities instead, which was volleyball. On the way to his classroom, Kageyama stopped before he could go in when he noticed a girl running in the hallway. "Oh, Kageyama! Good morning! I'm late! See you later!" Hirari greeted him, pretending that nothing happened yesterday. It dug a deeper hole in both of their hearts and they didn't even know it. But they surely felt it.

Tsukishima was a smart and observant guy. Just by observing Mashumaro, he knew what her habits were. She had a habit of singing when she was being absent-minded. She was also clumsy, occasionally tripping even though there was nothing on the ground to trip on and she was even wearing flat shoes. She usually spaces out during class, getting bored easily from long lectures. He actually wondered how she got in this class, even though she hardly looks at her book or takes notes during classes. She would stutter and be on the verge of fainting one time and be confident and act like a normal person the next. He also never forgets to notice her random remarks and the way she always ruins the mood although she doesn't mean to. It seems the only person she liked teasing was Hirari.

When did he start liking her? Probably at the time she was still studying in Aoba Johsai and wandered through the corridors of Karasuno, bumping into them while Hinata was tugging at his shirt, begging him to teach them before and after club activities. Back at that time, she wasn't the center of attention so she wasn't really nervous since Hirari was also with her. Tsukishima was silently watching her. Her clothes and hair were dripping wet from the rain, her bangs falling at the sides of her eyes as she teased Kageyama and Hirari. He liked that. She was pretty. But at that time, he thought he wouldn't see her again so he shrugged off the growing emotions. The second time was when he picked up her phone, not knowing it was hers.

He felt a bit grateful that it was hers. And he remembered the feeling of his heart stopping when he saw the wallpaper. He remembered going home with her phone in his hands, browsing through the gallery and laughing at her stolen shots and nice pictures. His mother even went into his room, telling him that his laugh could be heard from the living room. He didn't touch her messages, though. He wasn't that kind of guy. He did transfer the wallpaper to his own cellphone, though. He also saved his number on hers and did the same with her number to his phone. Of course, he didn't mention it anyone. "It's not like she'd notice my feelings or anything." He whispered to himself, stealing another glance from her.

Kageyama was, again, in front of his favorite vending machine, the scowl on his face becoming more obvious when he saw that the staff didn't restock the milk. He pushed the button corresponding to the yogurt drink, slightly thankful that there was no milk. He liked milk, but right now, the taste of milk will probably be like the taste of pain he felt.

"It's just as she described." He looked down at his hands. It was the kind of pain where blood rises to the fingertips, making it throb. It was the kind of pain where the heart beats slower rather than bursting inside his chest. He couldn't explain it, but he did feel it before. He was being selfish, he knew it, and although he does not want to admit it, Tsukishima was right. Liking someone is like indirectly telling that person 'Don't go. Please be mine.'

He punched a hole into the drink with the straw and went back inside, contemplating. He knew that there was nothing else he ever wanted than volleyball. So how did this kind of thing, which isn't related to volleyball, happen to him? He wanted to blame Hinata for pushing him deep until he can no longer climb up. He wanted to blame Nishinoya for daring him to take over Ennoshita's part-time job for a day. He wanted to blame Tsukishima for explaining what 'like' is in the most self-centered way possible.

Selfish. He's back to being the selfish King.

And he was afraid that she'd leave his side like what his former teammates did back in middle school.

"Oi, Kageyama." He heard Hinata's voice. He looked at the shorter boy, surprised that he was there waiting in front of the classroom. "Don't be selfish and make her wait. She's been waiting for, like, a long time now, and all you're doing is drinking milk and cowering in fear!"

The yogurt drink was crushed in Kageyama's hand. His eyes narrowed, dangerously threatening Hinata. "Stop talking like you know everything!" He yelled, grabbing Hinata by the collar. Hinata glared back, angry at the stupid actions his volleyball partner was executing. "But, I'm right, aren't I?"

Kageyama's hand trembled in anger. There it is again. The pain that makes your fingertips throb.

 _It is the pain of longing_.

He let go of Hinata, and shoved his hands into his pocket. "It's not going to hurt that much if you just tell her." Hinata's words were making him angry, but he couldn't do anything. The ginger was right.

Kageyama didn't want to get left behind again. He had experienced rejection once, and the first thing he did was go home and weep while there was no one around.

When Hirari ran off and left him there in front of the vending machine yesterday, he remembered when he tossed the ball back in junior high…

And there was no one there.

No, this was even more painful. Yesterday, he did as he used to do. He went home and wept alone.

In another classroom, Tsukishima was staring at his food, unable to eat. "Tsuki?" Yamaguchi called his name for who-knows-how-many-times already. The blonde didn't answer. He has never been so unfocused in his entire life. He always relied on information and calculations, he never expected love to be so… frightening. For the first time in his life, he didn't know the answer to the formula. He felt so inferior to Kageyama, knowing that the Karasuno setter was actually _trying_. And what was Tsukishima doing? Sitting on his desk, watching her from afar, pretending he doesn't care, and falling into something he really did _not_ want to fall to. She was the typical annoying type of girl he dislikes, why her? He set his chopsticks down on the table, massaging his temples to cure his headache. "Um… Tsuki… maybe you should… go tell her." Yamaguchi gestured towards Mashumaro's empty seat. The girl went to eat lunch with Hirari someplace else, casting a shadow of discontent in Tsukishima.

"If I did, then what?" Tsukishima retorted back. He didn't see any point in directly telling someone how he feels. He was never good at it, anyway. "…Then you'll probably be the reason why she would be smiling in the future. Wouldn't you like that?"

* * *

Hirari was running in the hallways again, late as always. "Why does the alarm never go off!?" She was complaining in the midst of her breaths, as she almost fell while running upstairs. She didn't want to get another nosebleed. As she neared her destination, she saw someone standing on the door to her room.

There it is again. The pain that makes your fingertips throb.

 _The pain of longing._

"Good morning, Kageyama!" She greeted him, pretending she was not hurt at all. Kageyama nodded to her calmly, also pretending that there was no pain. Innocence really is the most dangerous thing in the world. "I'm going inside now, okay?" She bowed to him, wondering why he was in front of her door. Kageyama clenched his fists. He didn't want to see her disappear from sight again before he says anything and cowers in fear.

" _Wait. I don't want to be alone."_

"Hirari, wait." She stopped, hearing her first name escape from his lips. She looked up at him with lively eyes. "You'll be home at around 6 o'clock, right?" He asked her, his hands trembling with pain.

Meanwhile, Mashumaro was blindly standing by the door again. She was _still_ as nervous as ever. "Just a 'good morning'. Just that." She told herself for so many times she can't remember already as her hand rested on the cold steel doorknob. She remembered the conversation she had with Hirari before, about using 'doorknob' as a curse word. It was on that same day Kageyama arrived at her house in a delivery boy's uniform.

It was that day where it all started.

Turning the doorknob, her grip on her bag tightened and she went inside. She exhaled a great amount of air, not realizing she had been holding her breath. She then clumsily went towards Tsukishima's seat, knowing that he won't be able to notice her again if he had his headphones covering his ears.

"G-Good mor—"

"Good morning, short stuff."

She gasped at his sudden greeting. Taking off his earphones, Tsukishima put his arms on his desk and leaned over, looking up at her as she stood there gracelessly. He had the usual smirk on his face. "Why don't you go check Hirari's cellphone later?" He told her, confidence beaming all over him.

* * *

"Hey, um, I'll be back in a jiffy, okay? Stay here!"

When Hirari ran outside class 4 to go back inside her own classroom because of an emergency, Mashumaro felt déjà vu all over her body. As soon as Hirari left the room, it was then that Mashumaro felt a strong vibration on her desk. Hirari left her phone again. Mashumaro picked it up, remembering what Tsukishima told her before.

 _*1 new message from Tsukishima Kei_

 _Just a hunch, but I think your friend has lost her heart. If I'm wrong, don't waste your time replying. If I'm right, tell her about the place under the lamp post and to go there later at night._

Mashumaro looked over a seat behind her to see the famous Tsukishima Kei, writing on his notebook, headphones covering his ears.


	22. Chapter 22 Endings Are Beginnings

_Ding-dong._

The doorbell rang. Hirari was busy, drawing something out of boredom when it did, so she was too lazy to open the door. It could be a kidnapper or something worse, anyway.

 _Ding-dong_.

"Ugh. Fine." She shoved the drawing into her bag and raced with no one to the door. She kinda missed how she and Mashumaro used to race and push each other to the door when someone rings the doorbell. Unfortunately, the redhead stumbled on a random tennis ball on the floor and she fell to the floor, face-first. Good thing she was already in front of the door when it happened. She extended her hand to the doorknob. "Whoever the visitor is, he's a doorknob." She said, using doorknob as an expression to curse instead of a real curse word.

When she turned the knob, her hands slipped and she fell to the floor once again. The door creaked open.

"Delivery for— Oh." The delivery boy stared awkwardly at the girl on the floor. She was a ginger-head and her nose was bleeding. She recognized that voice even though she wasn't looking. Back then, the sound of her heartbeat rang in her ears because of extreme humiliation. Now, it was because of a different reason. The delivery boy didn't know what to do and was just staring at her. "D-DELIVERY FOR ISHIKAWA HIRARI… DESU!" He managed to blurt out, accidentally sounding angry and polite at the same time. He was obviously freaking out over the girl's bleeding nose.

" _What the heck? You gave my name away to—" 'Ginger', now Hirari, was slightly pissed at the abrupt actions of her friend and also because she thought the delivery boy was angry. She looked up with a frown on her face._

"It's nice hearing you say my full name like that, you know." Hirari was more than glad to see that same delivery boy from that day, with no signs of nervousness in his face, although the nosebleed never failed to make him panic. She looked up with a smile on her face.

" _KAGEYAMA TOBIO! D-DELIVERY SERVICE… DESU!" She gawked at the new guy. Funny that she never saw this delivery boy before, even though she always ordered food through the phone. He looked young, well, probably same age with her, but still. "Um, ah. L-leave it at the door, I, uhh.. Thanks. You really didn't have to tell me your name, well… hi."_

"Kageyama Tobio, delivery service." She laughed at the familiar guy. Funny that she always saw this delivery boy at school, but it was only her second time seeing him at her house's door. He looked young, well, probably same age with her, but still. "Yes, everyone knows your name, Kageyama. Leave it at the door. Thank you."

 _Hirari stood up and dug through her wallet, then she handed the money to the awkward delivery boy with trembling hands. They were both awkward. Her fingers brushed against his rough, calloused hands and she heated up at the contact. She was not good at interacting with guys._

Nothing changed. There were still butterflies in both of their stomachs as she handed him nothing but her own trembling hand. They were _still_ both awkward. Her fingers brushed against his rough, calloused hands and she heated up at the contact. She was not good at interacting with guys.

But this time, Kageyama Tobio is different.

"Hirari." He called her by her first name again, gripping her hand tightly as usual. He was still like that failed prince in shoujo manga, but Hirari didn't mind that anymore. He was here. He was right here in front of her right now at 6pm in the evening, holding her hand.

There it is again. The pain that makes your fingertips throb.

Kageyama bit his lip. What was he supposed to say again? Hirari was looking at him, waiting with hopeful eyes. "I…" He felt his eyes getting wet again, his hand shaking violently against Hirari's. His other hand was clenched. He could make his bottom lip bleed with just this strong bite.

" _I don't want to be alone."_

" _What happened to me before was rejection."_

" _Wait."_

" _Don't go."_

" _Don't go like the others."_

" _I like you, dammit."_

He fell down to his knees, weeping. But this time, he wasn't weeping in his room alone. Hirari was there, watching over him. She slowly crept up to him and hugged his head, letting him weep on her shoulders.

"Please like me back, dammit…"

Hirari laughed softly at his kind selfishness, her hands caressing his soft, black hair. Her other hand opened the 'delivery' he left by the door and picked up what's inside. She then took his hand, so they could hold on to the gift together. The red brooch was in between their intertwined hands. "Yeah." Hirari whispered.

"Ishikawa Hirari… signing on." She said again. "I'll never sign off."

 _I won't go._

* * *

The night in Miyagi was peaceful. She passed by a certain shop, but didn't bother to look inside and rest. She was already swaying side-to-side, her body pleading for rest. As she walked, she looked up at the moon. "Brighter than the lamp post, as always." She mumbled. She got distracted when her phone started vibrating on her hand. Slightly annoyed, she opened it, knowing who the caller was.

"Hello?"

" _Hello."_

Her heart raced rapidly, as usual. She knew who it was, but she could never shake the intense nervousness she felt whenever he was just watching from behind her. He was always watching from behind her. With wide eyes and trembling lips, she slowly turned her head to check behind her. "Who's this?" She asked, making sure of her guess, as her eyes widened even more at the person.

" _Someone you wouldn't want to meet unless you're brave enough to face his feelings."_

And there he was.

 _Upon seeing him, her mouth hung agape and he saw how she loosened her grip on her phone until it was dropped to the ground. The night was quiet. The streetlights were bright. The only sound that could be heard was the cellphone dropping to the ground._

It was different the second time. Her mouth curved upward, forming a smile and her grip around her phone tightened. She shoved it back into her pocket. The only thing that remained the same was the quiet night and the bright streetlights.

" _H-How did you…" She could barely raise her finger up. Her voice was shaky. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow as she started looking around in panic, even up at the sky. "W-W-Wha- The moon! The moon!" She stuttered, flailing her arms around, and trying to change the subject._

"So…" She didn't know what to say or why they were back to where they started. Her voice didn't sound shaky, and Tsukishima was relieved to see that she wasn't as nervous as he expected her to be. She looked up at the sky. "Hey, look. A full moon! Ooooohhh." But her randomness did not change at all.

 _His smug look was back as he started walking near her. She was rooted to the spot in shock, sweating heavily and trembling as if she came face to face with a serial killer. That was her exact reaction. "You know." Tsukishima said as he bent down to pick up her phone. "That reaction has 'I don't want to give my thanks to the person who returned my phone' written all over it. How rude."_

His usual smug look was still on his face, Mashumaro started to think it would permanently be glued on his face eternally. She walked toward him; just as he started walking toward her until they were face to face, that is, if Mashumaro looked _way_ up. She had that stupid smile on her face, tilting her head like a puppy. "You know," Tsukishima reached a hand into his pocket. "That reaction has 'I don't know what's going on anymore' written all over it. How annoying."

 _Sarcasm dripped in his every word as he used his left hand to raise her right hand and placed the phone on it with his right hand._

It wasn't a phone this time. He gently raised her right hand and placed a certain pendant on it, warming the cold jewel with their hands.

 _To Tsukishima, that contact probably meant nothing._

Right here, right now, under a specific lamp post and a bright moon, that contact meant _everything_ to Tsukishima Kei. The only distance between his and her face was 33cm upward. His hands were still bigger than hers, as he enveloped her cold, trembling hand and held on to it tightly.

 _To Mashumaro, she really was nervous and whatever Tsukishima was thinking was probably correct. That contact put her thoughts in disarray. She was completely stunned. It's not because she liked the guy. She didn't even know him._

Right here, right now, under a specific lamp post and a bright moon, that contact still has the power to stun Mashumaro. It still didn't fail to put her thoughts in disarray. That was when she realized how much she liked him. Their everyday life sort of relationship… it was more than enough.

They let go of each other's hands, both a bit disappointed in having to. "I called you here to tell you that I tried putting a cucumber behind a cat and it ended up scratching me on the neck." Tsukishima mockingly told her, touching the spot where the cat scratched him before. Mashumaro's mouth hung open. "R-REALLY!? You really did that? What for?" She beamed, forgetting her nervousness completely.

"For the girl in my phone wallpaper."

She froze again, her nervousness back on track. She swallowed her saliva, gripping on the pendant he gave to her tightly. She was scared she might accidentally break it. "What are you fidgeting about? Did I say it was you? I didn't, right? I never said any name." He said, after seeing her weird reaction, ignoring the fact that he _indirectly_ just stated that it was her. "T-Then… who is it?" Mashumaro asked, trying hard not to jump into conclusions.

For some reason, she wasn't dense today.

After a long stare, he finally spoke up.

"My name is Tsukishima Kei."

"H-Huh? But you didn't answer my que—ugh. Kaji Mashumaro."

The girl pouted.

She couldn't believe her eyes when he raised his hand, moved her bangs so he could see her eyes, before placing his hand on his head. "There." He said. "You answered your own question."

That night, Tsukishima realized that you don't always need words to express what's inside.

 _I always miss you._

* * *

"Hey, Oikawa." Iwaizumi said, jumping in to prepare for Oikawa's toss. "Heard the girls were forced to transfer to Karasuno. What if they end up boosting Kageyama's morale instead of distracting him?"

Oikawa laughed. "That's going to be a problem for us." He tossed the ball up. "But a huge benefit for them."

 _Bam._

"Then again, Iwacchan, it was my selfishness which brought this upon them and us. It's okay."

* * *

 _There will come a time this fragile poem would end_

 _There will come a time when I'd reach out to you_

 _But then again, I'll always tell you that I will never leave you._

 _There is one more thing that I would like to say_

" _But then again, I just love you." That is all._

It was written on Tsukishima's notebook. He has successfully written a love poem.

* * *

 _End._


	23. Extra Chapter: Muffled Kisses

**December 22, 2015**

 **Happy birthday, Kageyama Tobio! Stay awkward and adorable please.**

 **Nah, you're still awesome. :3 Yaaaaaay!**

 **This is an extra chapter for Kageyama's birthday so it doesn't really affect the storyline or how the fic is going. It's just you know, a holiday one-shot. Anyway, happy holidays and let's all greet the youngest member of the Karasuno volleyball club a happy birthday!**

* * *

Kageyama clicked his tongue in annoyance as his cheeks turned white due to the biting cold of the winter breeze. His footsteps padded on the gentle snow by his feet. To him, winter was sort of a burden, since it limits his movements as an athlete and the cold prevents him from wearing thin clothes.

Wearing thick clothes wasn't a problem, if only they were easy to move around in. Wearing thin clothes or plain shirts was out of the question though. He did not want to get frostbitten while forming in a set-up in their every practice game. He looked up at the sky, scowling, although it was possibly normal for his face to scowl every time he looks at something.

He was only here for the sole reason that Hinata called him over for something, insisting that the whole team watch a movie tonight because 'Kageyama deserves a celebration even if he's mean'. Practice ended with Daichi having to drag the arguing oddball duo out of the court and into the storage room to grab mops for clean-up. The scene's bitter taste was seasoned with Tsukishima's constant aggressive comments and topped with the cherry-flavored words of Sugawara as he attempted to calm the bickering first-years down.

" _Tonight! In front of the local mall at 7:30! Don't be late!"_

Hinata's annoying voice never ceased to echo inside the setter's mind, his eyebrow twitching upon remembering the demands of the other half of the freak quick. He muttered a low curse, his lips quivering from the cold. How he longed to get to bed immediately and snuggle into his blanket to warm his freezing shoulders.

And he may not admit it but he really thought it would be nice if there was someone who'd cradle him in warm arms as he dozes off.

He wasn't really the touchy type when it comes to his family. His mother had a cute habit of hugging his neck with one arm and ruffling his hair with her other hand as she sniffed into his shampoo while he's eating the breakfast she made for an athlete and teased him for being such a big boy already. She even pretended to wipe a tear from the corner of her eyes because her only child was growing. Kageyama would just scoff and not say a word, his cheeks flushing, embarrassed that he was still being babied by probably the only female who loved him.

Well, she _was_ the only female who did until…

"Kageyama!" A lively tune rung into his ears. He looked over to the direction, surprised at the plot twist.

It wasn't Hinata. It was Ishikawa Hirari.

"Hi! Have you seen Hinata? He texted me, telling me that he wanted us to meet up here." She told him, awaiting his response eagerly with an excited grin plastered on her face. Kageyama fought the urge to leave his mouth hanging open. He shifted his scarf so it could cover his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth from his feet to her face. Even though the weather was baring its fangs at them, her cheeks were still flushed and her lips tinted pink. She blew into her mittens, making Kageyama's face heat up at her attempt to keep herself warmer. It looked adorable.

Clearing his throat, he opened his phone to check the time. _8:03pm._ He shoved the machine back into his pocket and grunted. _Where is that dumbass?_

That's when a light bulb lit up in his head, realization dawning upon him; depriving his face of the little amount of blood left to keep his head warm. His face became even paler. He looked at Hirari, who was just innocently checking from left to right, worry creasing over her features. Kageyama only knew one thing – they've been set up. _Dumbass Hinata._

What now?

"… He's probably not coming." He reluctantly said, his first words to her for this day traveling through his scarf, leaving it muffled when it reached the girl's ears. She looked up at his height, widening her eyes. "O-Oh. How do you know?" She asked. Kageyama bit his lips, shoving his hands aggressively in his pocket. He licked his chapped lips to moisten them, taking notice of her full, plump ones. Before he could even think of anything to say, she started giggling on the spot. "It's really cold out, Kageyama. We should go inside. It's such a waste if Hinata's not coming, though." She scanned his clothes. _He must have taken long to dress up, judging from how thick those are. He must be really cold._ With a sigh, she hesitantly grabbed his strong wrist, seeing as he is making no move, and dragged him into the building.

Her cheeks were really hot, despite the cold air enveloping them. "Ishikawa." She heard him say her name. "Yes?" She said without looking back, knowing that he was lazily dragging his feet off the ground. _Poor boy, his feet probably already froze to his previous spot._ "Do you wanna go watch a movie?" He tried to ignore his beating heart, his fingers trembling both from the cold and her answer. Hirari stopped in her tracks, her grip on Kageyama's wrist loosening. She appeared to be deep in thought.

Finally looking back at him, she laughed. "Yep! There's this new movie Hinata told me about! He even lent me the tickets for both of us, saying it would get lost if he was the one who kept it… since he's not here…" She stammered, her face heating up again. "Well… I guess you could take the other one, yes?" She dug deep into her shoulder bag and brought out two pieces of paper and waved it in front of Kageyama's face.

He grunted. "I take that as a yes." She smiled.

Kageyama figured that there must be a reason why Hinata chose the movies for a set-up date. He recalled Tanaka telling him that the movie room was dark and screamed 'privacy' all over it, which is why couples take that chance to hold hands or be sweet without anyone judging them. Of course, Kageyama was never really the type to do something inappropriate in a dark, public place. Scratch that, he was _never_ the type to do anything inappropriate _at all_.

He remembered how cold and chapped his lips are compared to her full, pinkish ones. He blushed at the thought.

* * *

He was strangely uncomfortable. _Kisses are done by couples inside the theatres… so…_

He tried shaking his head to avoid the thought, but he only ended up stopping once his gaze drops to her face. Her eyes were like saucers, the theatre screen reflecting in them, as she focused on the movie. A piece of popcorn was dangling in her mouth. Kageyama snorted, pulling up his scarf to cover his face again. Thankfully, she didn't hear it.

This was his chance and he knew it. Maybe he can finally let out his feelings if he did _it_? Then again, what if he gets slapped? He groaned, completely forgetting about the movie. He silently fidgeted on his seat, trying to find the timing. Setting the ball to his teammates were always timed perfectly, so why was kissing a girl so hard for him? Not to mention, he was able to toss the ball a far distance away from his hands accurately, so why was tossing a kiss to a girl so freaking hard?

He swallowed. His throat was still dry. _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._ Ignore the Harry Potter reference, his manliness is at stake right now!

His face turned towards her again, leaning closer. His grip on the chair's side was tightening, almost enough to crush it with his hand. Meanwhile, Hirari was about to pop a piece of popcorn into her mouth as Kageyama inched closer.

The piece of popcorn fell.

"Oh, what a waste." She mumbled, distracting Kageyama from his main objective. Humiliated, he withdrew his face as quickly as possible when Hirari stooped down to pick up the piece she dropped, oblivious to what was supposed to happen to her. Kageyama sat back properly on his chair, accidentally hitting the crook of his neck at the back of the said chair. His right hand clutched his pained body part, a rain of curses being muttered right after. Hirari sat back on her chair after picking up what she dropped.

The movie went on with Kageyama not paying attention to the screen the whole time. He absolutely had no idea what was going on-screen, while Hirari was incredibly focused on the villainous human trying to kill the helpless alien stranded on the planet. He tried again, never losing his morale. After all, he never gave up on volleyball, why give up on a kiss that could probably give him the same winning feeling he remembers quite well when he perfects a toss? The feeling he's aiming for right now was probably better, too. He inched closer once more.

Only to be interrupted when Hirari and the other audience let out screams.

Kageyama jumped back, covering his ears. Hirari's high-pitched scream did wonders to his eardrums. He glared at the movie screen, figuring out the source of the audience's reaction. The face of the villainous human was being distorted, creating a horror scene. It was even shot on close-up to purposely scare the watchers.

The movie was coming to an end and Kageyama still didn't know what the story was all about. He was busy pondering about his next move. _Dammit_. He couldn't help it but curse at his own timing. He was now glaring at the screen, wishing that Hinata should have picked a better movie. A romance movie should have done the trick, but Hinata most likely knew that Kageyama is unappreciative of too much sugary scenes. Facing Hirari again, he knew it was his last chance before they leave the darkness of the theatres and the privacy they have right now.

Gulping, he bit his chapped lips, wincing at the pain he was bringing to himself. Gripping the handles of the seat once more, he leaned closer. Now that the credits were starting to roll across the screen, Hirari was no longer interested in what she's seeing. This made her look back at Kageyama, startled when his face was just inches from hers. She tried backing away, but the boy's fingers unconsciously made their way to her forearm, brushing across her skin tenderly, though barely. The electrifying impulses of his calloused fingertips sent chills to her spine, her body refusing to listen to her mind's commands.

Their lips were only centimeters apart, and Kageyama was slowly closing his eyes. Hirari's lips were trembling with a feeling she didn't know what to call. Her shoulders stiffened, her eyes still trying to register what was going on.

… Then the lights turned on.

Both of them blinked at the ruined mood of the moment. Kageyama hissed, backing away and rubbing his eyes, adjusting his sight to the change of brightness of their surroundings. Hirari looked up. "Oh." She reacted. "We should go."

Kageyama was really pissed. He knew he shouldn't be, but he still was. He now concluded that a sci-fi slash horror movie was not a good genre for couples to watch.

* * *

"Have you seen the villain? Who knew he was actually an alien, too!? That was a crazy plot twist, like, that caught me off-guard!" Hirari blabbed about nothing but the movie the whole time they were walking home. Unfortunately, Kageyama could only dumbly listen to her squeals since he forgot about the movie the whole time they were in the theatres. He lowered his face and lifted his scarf. It draped over his closed mouth. His eyebrows were furrowed although it wasn't because he was annoyed with her. He was still annoyed at Hinata's bad taste in movies. The ginger spiker probably doesn't watch movies often. He probably just picked it just because it was _new_ and _popular_. And Hinata thinks _everything_ is cool. How could someone just pick a movie for a date just because it's _cool_?

It didn't take long for them to reach Hirari's house. "You better go. Your parents must be worried sick." He nudged her with his hand, finally noticing that she was gripping his coat the whole time. He didn't know that the girl had a hard time catching up with his fast walking pace, so she ended up grabbing hold of his coat to keep up with him. She looked down at her feet, letting go of him. Kageyama heard her mumble something but he couldn't quite hear what it was except for the words 'time', 'together' and 'short'.

"So… yeah." She let out a disappointed sigh. Kageyama blinked twice, thinking that he must be imagining the slight sadness in her tone. He watched her walk away, mentally cursing himself for being a sucker in love. As Hirari walked to her front porch, she felt something cold melt against her warm cheeks. She shivered, wiping it off her cheek.

It was then that she realized that it was snowing.

Kageyama marveled at the sight of the tiny feather-like things falling from the sky. He slowly exhaled, his eyes taking in the beauty of white snowflakes. Hirari looked behind her, their gazes locking in. Kageyama saw warmth in her eyes, making him remember how he snuggles his sheets to his face when he sleeps during cold winter nights.

"By the way, Kageyama… happy birthday. I hope I was enough to make you happy today, well… sorry if Hinata couldn't come… I surely wanted to see you smile today, but I guess I failed." Hirari's meek voice interrupted his trance. She stuck her tongue out playfully and laughed, rubbing her head cutely. Without thinking, he walked towards her and let his hands fall on the sides of her shoulders. Hirari inhaled sharply. "Ishikawa… you made me happy. Thank you."

With quivering lips trying to smile, he leaned in without hesitation with his eyes closed, prepared for rejection and a slap. However, Hirari made no move, her eyes studying his nervous face before she felt something brush against her lips. It was chaste and warm. And funny.

Because he missed.

 _Shit_. Kageyama inwardly cursed when he realized that he forgot to pull down his scarf and their lips ended up getting separated by the stupid fabric dangling over his mouth. He pulled away, his hand covering his face in a flustered manner. He could still feel the way her eyelashes brushed against his cheek as she blinked during the "kiss".

He bowed down, trying to avoid humiliation. "S-Sorry! Thank you for accompanying me, Ishikawa! See you!" He said, skidding away from her house, panicking out of embarrassment and awkwardness. Hirari's fingers lingered over her lips, remembering the feeling of warmth and love over the thin fabric that was once there. A smile tugged at her face. The winter wasn't so bad, after all.


	24. Extra Chapter: New Year

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

 **Sorry if all I write are special chapters. Writer's block is hard to overcome ;_;**

 **Yay!**

* * *

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG!"

Before Kageyama could react at the ear-piercing screeching voice, he was tackled from the chair to the wooden floor while in the midst of eating his dinner. He landed with a loud thud, a sign of the possible pain he would feel on his right shoulder any moment now, as a woman with silky black hair wrapped her arms around his head to protect his cranium from gaining injury from the fall. "M-Mom!" The distress could be clearly heard from Kageyama's voice even when his mouth was against his mother's sleeves.

His mother chuckled softly, not minding how her apron's stains rubbed against Kageyama's white shirt. She's going to have to wash that shirt tomorrow.

After the bearhug session, she sat on the floor and tilted her head to get a better view of her son's face; watching the said boy sit upright with his ever-permanent frown. "Now, now… you'll get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that, sweetie. Young people take their youth for granted. Oh, how I wish I would be able to prevent my forehead creases from appearing while I'm in my early twenties." The back of her hand found its way to her forehead, faking a look. "… Mom… you're almost forty." Kageyama commented, exercising his right arm to erase the pain. Falling on his side did a number on his body.

Suddenly, the woman stood up with arms crossed against her chest. "Oh, you! You should be getting ready for the festival, and you're just sitting there, eating dinner! Go invite your volleyball friends or your girlfriend out! Girls love to be taken out! You know your dad used to—"

"She's not my girlfriend, Mom." Kageyama wanted to point out the fact that the other mothers insist their children to _not_ skip dinner while his mother was more than willing for his son to skip dinner just to go to a festival. He didn't want to go to any festival, since he didn't want to be alone and he's going to have a hard time interacting with people. Also, he figured that his teammates must have already found their own companions. He sat back down on his seat, eyes fixed on the curry rice on his plate. "… Yet." He heard his mom say, slightly becoming nervous at the mischievous tone of her voice and the dangerous glint in her eyes. He could feel her gaze boring a hole at the back of his head.

"I'm going to let you borrow your father's yukata! It will fit you, my boy! Come, come! We don't want to waste the youth of my baby boy!" To his horror, his arm was grabbed violently and before he knew it, he was being dragged away from the table and away from his tasty dinner. "B-But, Mom… it's December! It's too cold to wear a yukata!" So much for curry rice.

* * *

She wasn't particularly fond of wearing girly clothes or uncomfortable things, but just like every girl, she wanted to feel pretty even if it's just one night. Her hand was affixed on her chin, her eyes squinted, and a short humming sound came from her closed mouth. On the bed were five kimonos, each with its own lovely design. "… Maybe you should invite Tsukishima or something." A small voice from behind her broke her concentration. She looked at the source with a glare. "He's not interested in these types of events." She replied to Hirari. The latter was carrying two robes on each of her arm. "But he _did_ promise, right?"

Mashumaro sighed in defeat. She was still too embarrassed to invite the blonde to an event he probably wouldn't enjoy. Thinking of a way to change the subject, she frantically ran a thumb against her lower lip, turning her head back to the clothes on the bed. "You should invite Kageyama. That guy must be waiting for your text. I mean, he _wants_ to socialize but he _sucks_ at socializing… well, it's something the three of us have in common." She finally retorted with a giggle, not realizing her friend's heated face just because she heard a certain name.

Hirari's throat felt like a desert where there is no well to be seen. It even hurt to swallow. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." She glanced at her phone, as the object seemed to be vibrating for a while now. Guilt washed over her aching heart, and it could not compare to any physical pain she'd feel as soon as she starts bumping into people in the festival later. "A-Anyway! When you first met Tsukishima, did you see a spark?" Hirari avoided the subject, quickly transferring the embarrassment to her friend.

"No." Mashumaro said with no hesitation. The answer surprised Hirari quite a bit, her eyes darting to her phone on the desk once again.

 _*4 new messages from Kageyama Tobio_

* * *

"Look at all the pretty lights!" Mashumaro could hardly contain her excitement. It also seemed insanely obvious that she was excited for the event, even though Hirari had to go all the way to her house and push her off the bed just so she could actually socialize with other people _besides_ Hirari and Tsukishima.

It turned out well, after all, from the scowling and bored face to the beaming smile of joy; Mashumaro's actually enjoying the event, despite the fact that she is surrounded by complete strangers and taking in too much lights from her current environment. Hirari looked around. Lanterns were hung from the stalls of food, with a fiery orange glow emanating from each red sphere. Stalls of all sorts lined up the pathway, creating a maze of liveliness, buzzing with laughter and voices of dissonance that couldn't blend well, but the lookers didn't care. Discord was like a blessing in every festival and noise is considered music in parties. "So… let's try the fried squids! Look, they're so huge! It looks delicious!" And although Mashumaro barely walked properly in her yukata and sandals, she still had energy to drag Hirari around to explore.

Hirari smiled. She liked spending time with her friend. Although it's been years, she still liked spending every New Year's Eve in the brunette's company. "Yeah, sure!" She tried hard to conceal the uneasiness in her voice. She felt guilty for feeling that way. Mashumaro was enough to complete her celebration, so what was she feeling bad about?

Snapping out of her thoughts, she realized that Mashumaro was already sliding a squid on stick in between her fingers. "Eat up. My treat." The latter was grinning widely. Her reddish brown eyes were shining with enthusiasm. There was an obvious blush on her face, but this time, it wasn't from embarrassment. It was from the newfound warmth of the upcoming year. Two tiny braids trailed on the sides of her pretty hair, with two bigger braids below the tiny ones. The four chains of hair were tied together into a mermaid ponytail. Her bangs were swept to the side. Her head was decorated with little flowers down to her braids. She looked absolutely adorable in her light lavender kimono, adorned with white flower and cherry blossom designs at the bottom.

Hirari wondered about their sense of fashion. Her kimono was white and had splashes of pastel colors of pink, blue, and yellow crawling all over the bottom part. Her right sleeve had subtle hints of blue flowers. It was lightly designed, but she liked it. Her usual ponytail was in a braided bun, a huge red flower sitting on the side. Her bangs were clipped with golden barrettes.

She sighed.

"… Hey… you can go now." Mashumaro's suddenly calm voice startled Hirari. The latter shot back a look of surprise, a slight breeze dancing across their faces, kissing them softly with its coldness. A sweet smile graced Mashumaro's features, her tied back hair giving way to her pale face, a slight dash of pink on her cheeks. "Pardon?" Hirari asked.

The only action Mashumaro did as a reply was raise a certain object in front of Hirari's face. No, it wasn't the squid she was eating. It was Hirari's phone.

Hirari's jaw dropped. "Sorry, I saw the text messages. You don't have to worry about me. We've spent countless years together. I think it's time you expand your relationships. You should go. He's probably waiting." Mashumaro said before Hirari could react. The latter did nothing but bite her lip. She could have sworn she tasted a bit of iron. She cursed at herself for biting too hard. "But…"

"No buts. Kageyama never spent New Year's eve with anyone of importance before… he needs this more than I do."

At those words, Hirari reluctantly heaved out a sigh. With quivering lips and trembling delicate fingers, she took her phone from Mashumaro's hands. "The fireworks will be starting soon. He probably really wanted to see them with you."

With a nod, Hirari ran off, waving goodbye to her friend. Mashumaro waved back, laughing. When Hirari was finally out of sight, the girl's hand slowly fell to her side. "Yeah. Go. He needs you."

* * *

She was being blinded by the lights, running and getting lost through the sea of people. In a panic, she struggled to catch her breath.

 _[From: Kageyama Tobio]_

 _Are you going to the festival?_

She looked around, feeling scared. None of the faces were familiar to her. She took a step backward, colliding into a person. "Ah, I'm sorry!" She bowed apologetically and ran away once again. There's no exit in the suffocating maze of human beings she had cast herself into.

 _[From: Kageyama Tobio]_

 _I'll be watching the fireworks. They say it's the highlight of every New Year's Eve._

Finally reaching the main road and out of the festive gathering, she looked for signs of black hair and a stoic face. Still no luck. She kept running, praying that he'd still be there. White clouds ghosted out of her open mouth as she panted, running 'til her legs felt like jelly. Her feet were starting to hurt with the sandals she was wearing.

 _[From: Kageyama Tobio]_

 _I want to watch it with you, though. If you're not coming, there's no point._

As soon as Hirari reached the playground just a few blocks away from the festival, she was surprised to see that there were still a few people roaming up to that distance. She looked from left to right, fear creeping up to her. Frantically stepping up the stairs to the slide, her legs collapsed, her exhaustion taking its toll upon her body.

 _[From: Kageyama Tobio]_

 _I'll be at the playground by 8pm. If you're not there by 8:30, well… I guess I'll be heading home._

Hirari checked the time on her phone. Dread filled her senses. She found it hard to breathe, struggling to get up the stairs while reading the time, her blurry sight getting in the way of her consciousness. _9:00pm._

She heard a loud boom from the skies. She looked up and saw consecutive exploding lights lit up the usual dark night sky. They flew up with such viciousness, the echoes of its sounds ringing in her ears along with the sound of her heartbeat. She was too late.

And Kageyama Tobio will never get to watch the beauty of the lights with her.

She cringed at the thought, pursing her lips. Tears started streaming down her face, the water making her eyes even more blurry. The girl watched the sight with pain and regret, wishing that she had come sooner. This would have been a different night for her. She opened her mouth and let out a wail, dropping her phone and crying her heart out. Her hands made their way to her eyes, wiping off the salty liquid, some getting stuck at the ends of her eyelashes. The sound of her cries were faint, dissolving within the booms and cracks from above.

Suddenly, a weight rested on her waist. It was an awkward weight, and she gasped at the contact. Her whole body stiffened, feeling something, or rather, someone against her back. "Hey." A sweet and deep voice was clearly heard, as her ears were already deaf to the loud sounds. "… Kageyama?"

She felt his body relax against her back, his hands hugging her waist. She could feel the heat from his cheeks, as the boy buried his face against the crook of her neck. "Yeah." His lips moved, barely touching her skin. "It's me."

Sheer happiness enveloped both of them, as Hirari turned around to wrap her thin arms around his neck, laughing at herself for being such an idiot. Her tears stained his shoulder, and she knew. "I know it's you."

* * *

The girl looked up at the sky, smiling to herself. Although she lost her phone while walking through the festival, at least it wasn't Hirari's phone that she lost. She chose to look at the bright side instead of ruining her night. "Oh, well." Shrugging her shoulders, she was about to walk across the bridge when something rested on top of her head.

"You lost your phone again."

She looked up, _waaaay up_ , enough to see Tsukishima, upside-down and staring at her. His smug smirk was on his face, feeling so confident and proud of himself for some reason. "… Is that…?" She asked.

"Your phone. Nice wallpaper." He commented with a snicker. Mashumaro could not say a thing. She just looked up at him, finally turning around to face him instead of leaning her head back. Her mouth hung agape, her eyes widening, the lights reflecting in her bright eyes. She blinked, wondering if it was an illusion.

The fireworks were showering graces into the sky behind Tsukishima. The blonde's smirk slowly turned into a smile, her awed face strangely making him happy. "… Hello, Maro."

She inwardly suppressed a giggle. "What are you doing in a kimono? I thought you weren't coming." She gently held his hands, still laughing like she usually does.

"Well, I promised, didn't I?"

And it was that night that they realized that it wasn't a spark they saw the first time they all met.

 _But fireworks._

* * *

 _[From: Sweetheart]_

 _DEARY! I sent our baby boy off to the festival! I hope you don't mind him wearing your yukata for his New Year's date ;) ;) *wink wink*_

 _[From: My Lovely Sweet Pumpkin Cake Daddy Kageyama]_

… _Uh… you sent our son OUT wearing a YUKATA on his DATE? In the middle of WINTER?_

 _[From: Sweetheart]_

 _Yeah, dear, why?_

 _[From: My Lovely Sweet Pumpkin Cake Daddy Kageyama]_

… _Honey, I'm coming home from work now. We have to talk._

 _Mostly about the reasons why 'yukata' literally means 'bathing clothes' and WHY they're only worn during summer._


	25. Chapter 25 Special

**PLEASE DO READ THIS.**

As of the moment, I am a _completely_ broke college student, struggling with anxiety. I thought I might owe you an explanation for my absence and inactivity.

First of all, I would like to apologize for all the postponed fics that I have yet(and probably wouldn't be able) to finish. I promise you that I've been doing everything I can to rewrite and re-edit the chapters for a better output to present to you all, but unfortunately, my classes and psychology tests were taking up a lot of time from my hands. _*cries*_

It was also a part of my plan to re-edit the whole Beautiful Accidents fic because I have been writing that fic for _years_ , and the change in style is extremely evident from the first chapter to the latest ones. Unfortunately, time isn't kind to me.

Anyway, I would like to thank you all for the support you have given me! I grew up writing in this website, and it helped me learn so much. Heck, 80% of my writing progress was all thanks to your reviews and continued support(even though I barely even update nor post fanfics anymore). I have recently just started a Wordpress blog to store my written reviews on certain topics, essays, feature articles, and most especially, my prose poetry pieces. I have also started creating original stories and a light novel collaboration with some of my friends, which I have yet to post here.

I am happy to have been a part of helping my readers appreciate fanmade works and see the world in many different perspectives through my many different fandoms. And to the friends I have made here and the critics that helped me shape my writings for the better, I am glad to have met all of you. And don't worry, I'm not saying goodbye to Fanfiction yet! I'll surely come back with more, as soon as I finish college or as soon as my mental health gets better.

Feel free to drop by my Wordpress blog, if you are interested in reading works other than my fanfics. Also, I am now accepting fanfic commissions(through a post in my Tumblr account) in case any of you want to make a request! Unfortunately, it won't be for free since I am hardly getting by college and my overall health is deteriorating because of frequent panic attacks and stress-related issues. I will appreciate any of your help, and would still love to write for you! Just send me a message, and I'll reply with a message that includes my tumblr and Wordpress url for details and sample works.

I have also just recently created a Ko-Fi account as a Creator. I was just trying my luck out, since I no longer can survive my college fees and debts, and I have nothing to rely on except for my writings hahaha. I'm completely broke and stressed, but I am okay and still alive. Feel free to drop by any of my websites! I love all of you, and I really miss Fanfiction and all your sweet reviews.

Again, thank you for all your support these years, especially for the effort you took for reading this nonsense hahaha. _*cries*_


End file.
